[imagesource: Suez Canal Authority via AP]

To you and I, the Suez Canal being blocked by a ship that has become wedged in isn’t really something to fuss over.

To the businesses losing out on huge amounts of money, with major shipping routes disrupted, it most certainly is.

Essentially, reports The Guardian, one of the biggest container ships in the world has become stuck, blocking a route through which around 12% of the world’s trade passes, and roughly 30% of the world’s shipping container volume.

The Ever Given, which is the name of the 1 312-foot-long container ship that was travelling from China to the Netherlands, ran aground after a dust storm and heavy winds made for very low visibility.

Here’s an idea of just how wedged in we’re talking:

Image: Twitter / @jsrailton

This may help you understand just how much of a gemors that blockage is causing:

If you think youre having a bad day, spare a thought for the helmsman who somehow managed to stick his giantass ship sideways into the goddamn Suez Canal & blocked it into literal gridlock & is currently costing every seafaring nation of Earth like millions of dollars every hour pic.twitter.com/DIWAxwctXa

— Shiv Ramdas (@nameshiv) March 24, 2021

The first really easy meme opportunity came from the fact that before running aground, Ever Given “charted a route resemblant of a penis, testicles and an enormous butt in the Red Sea”, reports, the New York Post.

Let’s get that out of the way:

Image: AFP; VesselFinder

Sure, I can see it.

Genitalia-related jibes aside, the fact that a tiny bulldozer, along with a few workers, was sent to rectify the situation was enough to kick the meme-making into overdrive.

This thread provides a solid overview of the meme format:

This is my favourite meme format in a long time pic.twitter.com/p7XOuC43PU

— Ben Harris-Roxas (@ben_hr) March 24, 2021

And off we go:

🙃 pic.twitter.com/oQ5kVOSftc

— Deeba Shadnia (@deebashadnia) March 24, 2021

pic.twitter.com/aqE5rPSvVB

— Nasri Atallah • نصري عطاالله (@NasriAtallah) March 24, 2021

Tension rises over new attempt to re-float ship in #SuezCanal #EVERGIVEN #oott pic.twitter.com/EOHZS3qQmM

— ForexFlow (@forexflowlive) March 24, 2021

The Suez Canal calls for aid! https://t.co/Fz1L8Nc0I7 pic.twitter.com/O4BppK4e7k

— Lord Of The Rings Memes Bot (@LOTRMemesBot) March 25, 2021

Today’s Comic: We are all, in our own little way, that ship. pic.twitter.com/GVDjLxzErX

— Chaz Hutton (@chazhutton) March 24, 2021

“Hello Suez Canal library, how can I help?” pic.twitter.com/gn5R2DVTyb

— Pulp Librarian (@PulpLibrarian) March 24, 2021

This Austin Powers one is by far my favourite:

What is happing in #SuezCanal today explained.#Egypt
pic.twitter.com/T06bFDGQ7q

— Zaina Erhaim (@ZainaErhaim) March 24, 2021

If you haven’t yet flexed your meme-making skills, there is still time, reports Al Jazeera:

Ship-tracking software shows that the Ever Given has made only minor changes to its position over the past 24 hours, despite the deployment of several tugs to drag it to deeper water…

Several dozen vessels, including other large container ships, tankers carrying oil and gas, and bulk vessels hauling grain have backed up at either end of the canal to create one of the worst shipping jams seen for years…

Shipping experts say that if the blockage is not likely to be cleared within the next 24-48 hours, some shipping firms may be forced to re-route vessels around the southern tip of Africa, which would add roughly a week to the journey.

Time is money, and that extra week is going to hurt.

[sources:guardian&aljazeera]