Yep, almost four days into a cut that was supposed to take one day, they are barely halfway through. And despite dozens of local notices that once the cutting starts it cannot be stopped, the cutting has been stopped several times already.
They have also had to replace 30 links (over 10%) in the 400 foot long chain.
The only good news is that since the chain is still cutting below the surface there hasn’t been too much noise. We anticipate this changing. Oh, and so far, no explosions or fires, but that too will change as they start cutting where the bulk of the cars are.
I have always questioned the concept of using a huge chain to cut the ship. But, it’s also been clear that the dramatic lack of space in which to operate would require a unique approach. I guess the cable cutting method requires an angle of attack that they just don’t have here. If you look closely, you will see that the chain is nearly vertical. I would think that this also causes there to be much more surface contact, which creates more friction and drag. The chain is significantly larger than a cable, also creating more contact.
Watching video of previous cutting operations, it looks almost surgical. Photos of this operation so far on the Golden Ray look like they are trying to just tear the thing apart.