The Ship That Launched 1,000 Memes - and Nearly Destroyed 12% of World Trade

摘要

The grounding of MV EVER GIVEN from 23 March to 29 March 2021 captured the world's attention. Many people asked, how could such a modern and large vessel find itself with its bow rammed into Asia, its stern aground on Africa, and its mid-ship astride one of the major maritime choke-points in the world? Amidst all of this, ships traveling between Europe and Asia piled up in the anchorages off Port Said and Suez, hoping that the Suez Canal Authority, and eventually SMIT Salvage, could clear the con-tainership and allow a resumption of normal trade. Her removal after six days opened the floodgate of vessels looking to traverse the canal and resume the international flow of goods and allow military vessels - such as the USS DWIGHT D EISENHOWER (CVN-69) Carrier Strike Group - to perform their missions. But behind the veneer of memes and jokes the grounding of EVER GIVEN exposed the fragile nature of global trade and the maritime infrastructure that supports it.