This past weekend, the internet has blown up all about this boat that got stuck in the Suez Canal. Well, we’d like to shine a light on that boat that became famous overnight: the Ever Given cargo ship. 

On March 23, a cargo ship that goes by the name Ever Given got stuck near the entrance of the Suez Canal. This cargo ship is 400 meters long, with a width of 59 meters. It took up around a single lane in the canal, which equates to almost 985 feet wide. 

Why is this such a big deal? Because this incident incited a massive traffic jam. More than 360 ships, which carried essential commodities such as oil and durable goods like cars and grain, became stuck. This resulted in a delay of shipments. 

In an article published by USA Today, it states, “The AP said an analysis by data firm Refinitiv showed an additional 300 ships were en route to the canal over the next two weeks. Some ships have already diverted to the African route.”

In addition to this, the Suez Canal itself is a shipping link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. This link is known to carry 10 percent to 12 percent of commercial shipping, as well as about 2.5 percent of the world’s oil. 

The article provides its readers with a statement from a German insurer who said, “Delays could cost global trade $6 billion to $10 billion a week.” 

This brings us to the next question: How did this happen? Although the main reason behind how this cargo ship got stuck in the Suez Canal is still under investigation, there are two theories towards this situation. 

The first theory was proposed by the owners of the cargo ship, who claimed that the “high winds in a sandstorm pushed the ship sideways, wedging it into both banks of the waterway.”

The second theory comes from the chairman of Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority, who didn’t think that the bad weather is what resulted in the ship getting stuck. He then continued on to provide his own theory, that it may have been possible that the ship got stuck due to “technical or human reasons.” 

On to the final question: How did the world react to this news? This question also explains why the Ever Given became one of the most famous boats overnight. When people on the internet heard about the Suez Canal crisis, they decided to take matters into their own hands, and add light to a very serious topic—the first thing that came to one’s mind is to make a meme about it. 

According to an article published by CBS, “The incident … has inspired a wealth of memes on social media.” 

One meme led to another, which led to another, which led to another, and eventually, the internet was flooded with memes about the cargo ship stuck in the Suez Canal instead of information about the incident and its progress.

Some of the memes include the famous photo of the cargo ship being stuck sideways in the canal, and the little yellow bulldozer trying to get it unstuck. This photo is accompanied by different captions like, “My COVID depression & anxiety,” being written on the ship, and then “going on a daily walk” written on top of the yellow bulldozer. 

Another famous meme is an illustration of the image described above. Yet within the illustration, the artist represented the ship as an individual (“me”), one side of the Suez Canal was labeled “procrastination,” and the other side of the Suez Canal was also labeled “procrastination.” The water within the Canal was labeled one’s workflow, and the little yellow bulldozer represented one’s ability to work through writing a to do list. 

The reason why these memes became so famous is because of how relatable they were to the public. 

With all that being said, the most recent update regarding the Ever Given is that it is now unstuck. 

According to an article published by CBS News, it was announced by the Egyptian government’s Suez Canal Authority that the Ever Given, “ha[d] been successfully re-floated. This was the result of successful push and tow maneuvers which led to the restoration of 80 percent of the vessel’s direction.” 

If you haven’t seen enough of the Ever Given Memes, visit https://nypost.com/2021/03/25/the-best-suez-canal-memes-the-stuck-ship-ever-given-inspired/to satisfy your needs.