The World’s Largest Trade Constipation

Previously published May 13. 2021

In the midst of a global pandemic and a sudden increase in shootings across America, the news has become a draining reservoir of negative energy and dread, among other global tragedies. After over a year of quarantine, the daily news of tragedies blaring from the kitchen TV is more routine than a shocker.

Cue the Ever Given—coming to the rescue, or rather, requiring rescue.

On March 23rd, the Japanese container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking the entire canal and cutting off-world trade for six days.

The news went viral, sprouting hundreds of memes, and the issue trended across Twitter. Despite the traffic jam involving over 200 vessels and halting world trade for six days, the news was still hilarious enough to be refreshing. The Suez Canal accounts for 12% of world trade, and despite the importance of the canal, Twitter users were quick to devise some… interesting ways to describe the situation.

The effects of the Suez Canal blockage are reflective of the current degree of globalization. The Ever Given is a Japanese ship, operated by Evergreen (a Taiwanese transportation company), registered in Panama, carrying Chinese cargo to the Netherlands, sailed by an Indian sailor, and insured by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (a German insurance company). The sheer number of countries and regions affected by the blockage only made for funnier memes.

After the Ever Given was dislodged on March 29th, the hashtag “PUT IT BACK” was trending on Twitter (followed by even more memes), as users had not had enough of the world’s largest trade constipation.

The Suez Canal incident may have been the funniest news of 2021 so far. Hopefully, this year will continue to have better (and meme-ier) times to come.

Works Cited

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_Given#2021_Suez_Canal_grounding
https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/tiny-excavator-freeing-huge-ship-stuck-in-suez-canal-prompts-meme-fest-101616749170091.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-images-show-latest-effort-to-remove-suez-canal-ship-2021-3