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The best Suez Canal memes inspired by the stuck cargo ship Ever Given

It may be causing a worldwide trade crisis, but the massive ship stuck in the Suez Canal has also led to hilarious meme fodder.

Samantha Ibrahim and New York Post
2 min read
March 26, 2021 - 2:04PM
Fears Suez Canal blockage could last weeks

It may be causing a global trade crisis, but the ship stuck in the Suez Canal sure is hilarious meme fodder.

The massive container ship blocked the canal earlier this week, preventing roughly 150 other cargo ships from passing through the crucial trade route between Africa and Asia. The Ever Given – which is longer than the height of New York’s Empire State Building and weighs over 200,000 tonnes – became lodged in the waterway on Tuesday after high winds and a dust storm. Attempts to refloat it have so far failed, with earth-moving equipment now attempting to dig out the stuck megaship.

But one industry’s crisis appears to be another’s field day. The internet went wild with memes poking fun at the disaster – and putting it into context in a way only Twitter jokers could.

Here are a few of the best ones to help explain the drama.

One onlooker superimposed the likes of King Kong and Godzilla on the ship, joking that “the situation in the Suez Canal has escalated”.

“What is happening in #SuezCanal today explained. #Egypt,” tweeted one observer. Underneath the post was a video of the scene from the movie Austin Powers, in which Mike Myers’ character tries to do a three-point turn while driving a cart in a narrow hallway.

Some instantly saw the ship as a symbol for the mental toll of the coronavirus pandemic. One user posted a photo of the Ever Given with the words “My COVID depression and anxiety” slapped across it. Next to the huge ship was two small construction workers labelled “going on a daily walk”.

Another user shared a map of the ship’s route on the Suez Canal and questioned, “Is there a traffic jam?” Alongside the tweet he posted a finger emoji pointing down to the map.

Another commenter shared a funny satirical cartoon where it showed two sides of the canal labelled “procrastination” with the canal itself being “workflow”.

“Good news for today: whatever happens, at least you’re not the guy who got his boat stuck in the Suez Canal and broke maritime shipping,” joked one Twitter user.

Alongside a photo of the Ever Given being strung up by thousands of colourful balloons, an observer wrote, “Tension rises over new attempt to refloat ship in #SuezCanal #EVERGIVEN #oott.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/the-best-suez-canal-memes-inspired-by-the-stuck-cargo-ship-ever-given/news-story/0521a3ad29018d0b01f17f9b00857a87