Suez Canal Ship Has Been Freed — and So Have All the Memes

Folks had a field day with the Ever Given before and after it was freed

(Photo by Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images)

After five days, the Suez Canal has finally been cleared, and it’s unclear if the people of the internet are having more fun memeing the blockage or the unblockage.

On Tuesday, a massive container vessel called the Ever Given became lodged in the waterway. The canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and divides Africa and Asia, is a key route for maritime commerce, and the weeklong blockage stalled billions of dollars a day in business.

Naturally, the people of the internet tried to keep spirits up, immediately crafting memes from photos of the vessel lodged in the canal. Some proposed creative ways of dislodging the Ever Given, suggesting everything from Willy Wonka’s Oompa Loompas to some good old WD-40.

https://twitter.com/markruffaloTD/status/1376195522365693960?s=20

https://twitter.com/SITCOMMILFS/status/1376108471490318339?s=20

On Monday morning, the cargo ship was dislodged thanks to the efforts of salvage teams, who worked straight through the five days it was stuck. In the end, it was an assist from Sunday’s full moon and the resulting tides that finally allowed the ship to come loose, around 3 p.m. local time.

As it finally began to move, ships that had gotten queued up during the wait blared their horns in celebration.

Of course, once the Ever Given was finally freed, the memes only got better. Some took guesses at the “real” cause of the fix, while others joked about the resulting celebration. Carrie Wittmer, a writer, even went so far as to compare the situation to a scene in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

https://twitter.com/carriesnotscary/status/1376536341320712198?s=20

With a full-blown shipping crisis avoided, Twitter really did what it does best. Check out more of the best memes and reactions to the Suez Canal saga below:

https://twitter.com/EmilyGlatter/status/1376170361759232005?s=20

https://twitter.com/ltpenguin_/status/1376527262816821252?s=20

Andi Ortiz

Joining TheWrap in 2021, Andi has covered film, television, and all things niche since her arrival. Her heart lies in genre projects, like superheroes and fantasy, but she has also found a groove in covering late night television and, of all things, The View. Prior to joining TheWrap, Andi was an on-air radio personality and…

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