Female Captain Speaks Out After Being Blamed For Blocking Suez Canal

• Egyptian female captain Marwa Elselehdar has been bashed by netizens for “allegedly” causing the Sue Canal blockage.
• Apparently, she wasn’t even in the vessel when the accident happened.
• Shocked about the baseless accusations, Marwa thinks she may be being “targeted” because of her success in the field or her race.

How would you react if netizens started bashing you for something you didn’t even do? That’s the situation a female ship captain found herself in after several fake posts made rounds on social media, leading to people blaming her for Ever Given getting stuck in the Sue Canal.

At the time, she was working as Aida IV’s first mate in Alexandria so she was surprised when some began lambasting her online.

“I was shocked,” said Marwa Elselehdar when news spread that she had something to do with the blockage. Apparently, false reports spread on the internet using screenshots of a fake headline, along with tweets from fake Twitter accounts using her name.

The 29-year-old woman, who is known as Egypt’s first female ship captain, said in an interview:

“I felt that I might be targeted maybe because I’m a successful female in this field or because I’m Egyptian, but I’m not sure.”

Marwa further shared that she has often faced discrimination as she was working hard to become a captain:

“People in our society still don’t accept the idea of girls working in the sea away from their families for a long time,” she explained. “But when you do what you love, it is not necessary for you to seek the approval of everyone.”

Ever Given was stuck near the city of Suez for 6 days, causing a major disruption in the world’s shipping industry.

After the vessel was freed, Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski announced in a statement:

“Shortly following the grounding of the Ever Given we were requested through SMIT Salvage to provide assistance with the salvage operation. I am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given on 29 March at 15:05 hrs local time, thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again.”