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A Giant Ship Got Stuck In The Tiny Suez Canal So Naturally It Was Turned Into A Meme

No matter what you did today, at least you didn't accidentally block a major trade route with your big boat

by Merryana Salem  25 March 2021
suez-canal-block

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A 400-metre-long container ship called the Ever Given is blocking traffic in the Suez Canal after becoming wedged sideways while attempting to pass through the major shipping route.

Ever Given was on its way to Rotterdam, Netherlands, but ran aground in the early hours of Tuesday morning. News of the blockage was first reported by the maritime tracking site, Fleet Mon. But Ever Giver officially went viral after Julianne Cona, a crew member from a nearby ship posted a pic of the stranded Ever Giver to their Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Julianne Cona (@fallenhearts17)

Their caption read: “Ship in front of us ran aground while going through the canal and is now stuck sideways looks like we might be here for a little bit…” In a comment, they also wrote, “from the looks of it that ship is super stuck.”

The subsequent stranding of the Ever Given has caused delays, a backlog of deliveries and, of course, a ship-tonne of memes. Many have pointed out the situation has the energy a scene from an Austin Powers film.

Other memes formed around imagining the nautical equivalent of road rage that is undoubtedly occurring as a result of the blockage. As of today, several tug boats are still attempting to manoeuvre the vessel.

It’s very difficult not to view the entire situation as a comedically villainous plot to block traffic through one of the world’s major trade routes. Certainly, blocking the Suez Canal, whose route sits between 200 and 210 metres wide, with a ship upwards of 300 meters wide sounds like an oversight that borders on the comically devious.

I can personally imagine a B-List DC villain — someone like the Riddler, or Mr Freeze — rubbing their hands together at the sheer simplicity of blocking a major trade route with a boat too big to pass through the route, causing indigestion for trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Or even the unfolding chaos in the canal as the cold open to an episode of Kim Possible where Kim saves the day by pointing out to Maritime authorities that the boat is too big.

Considering the Canal is the major trade route for oil for much of Asia, a prolonged gridlock could have major political and social ramifications. For now, however, enjoy the fact that no matter how much you might stuff up today, you didn’t clog a major world trade route because you forgot how small it was.

Merryana Salem (she/they) is a proud Wonnarua and Lebanese–Australian writer, critic, teacher, researcher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out their podcast, GayV Club where they gush about LGBT rep in media. Either way, she hopes you ate something nice today.