Accused of Ever Given in the Suez Canal, this is Marwa Elselehdar’s Response. Page all

KOMPAS.com – Captain of the ship The First Sea Woman in Egypt, Marwa Elselehdar (29), was accused of the incident involving the container ship Ever Given on the canal Suez Canal.

Reporting from BBC, Sunday (4/4/2021), it started when Marwa received a call that he was said to be the party responsible for the jamming of the Ever Given ship.

The entanglement of the Ever Given ship brought a halt to one of the world’s main shipping routes.

“I was shocked,” said Marwa.

When the incident occurred, Marwa was serving as first partner in command of Aida IV, hundreds of miles away in Alexandria.

The ship, belonging to Egypt’s maritime security authority, is on a supply mission to a lighthouse in the Red Sea.

The ship is also used to train cadets from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), a regional university run by the Arab League.

Also read: Much Discussed, This Is The Location of the Suez Canal and Its Role for World Trade

The rumors regarding Marwa Elselehdar’s role in Ever Given allegedly stemmed from screenshots of the fake article, which was claimed to be published by Arab News.

In the article, Marwa is said to have been involved in the crash of the Ever Given container ship on the Suez Canal.

There are also several edited photos, allegedly edited from Arab News coverage on March 22, 2021.

The original article from Arab News contained information about Marwa’s success as captain of the ship the first woman in Egypt.

However, this photo has been widely spread on social media Twitter and Facebook.

In fact, several Twitter accounts in his name have also spread false claims that Marwa was involved with the Ever Given incident.

Marwa’s response

Regarding the circulation of the allegations, Marwa said he did not know who first spread the false claims or why they made the fake news.

“I feel that I might be targeted because I am a successful woman in this field or because I am Egyptian, but I am also not sure,” Marwa said.

When rumors surfaced about his role in the Suez Canal congestion, he was worried it would have an impact on his job.

“The fake aritkel is in English, so it can easily be spread to other countries,” said Marwa.

“I tried hard to deny what was in the article. Because the information in the article affected his reputation and all the efforts I put into my current captaincy position,” he continued.

He also shared about the salt acid from his experience in his career.

Marwa admits that this is not the first time she has faced challenges in an industry that is generally dominated by men.

According to the International Maritime Organization, women who become world seafarers account for only 2 percent.

Although it is rare for women to become ship captains, Marwa admits that there is no problem.

Because, he likes the marine world. He was also inspired to join the merchant navy, after his brother enrolled at AASTMT.

Although the academy only accepted male applicants at the time, Marwa continued to apply and was granted permission to join following a legal review by then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

During his studies, Marwa said, he experienced sexism at every turn.

“On the boat, they were all older men with a different mentality, so it was hard not to be able to find like-minded people to communicate with,” Marwa said.

“It was very challenging to go through this alone and be able to handle it without affecting my mental health,” he continued.

According to him, the role of women who work in the sea is still not acceptable to ordinary people, because it keeps women away from their families for a long time.

“But when you do what you love, you don’t have to ask everyone’s approval,” says Marwa.

After graduating from the academy, Marwa rose to the rank of first mate, and became captain of Aida IV when he became the first ship to navigate the Suez Canal, which was only expanded in 2015.

At that time, Marwa was still the position of the youngest and first Egyptian female captain to cross the waterway.

In 2017, Marwa received the honor of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the Egyptian Women’s Day celebrations.

Citizens support Marwa

As a result of the issue, Marwa received many rude and angry comments.

However, there are also those who provide support to Marwa.

“I decided to focus on all the support and love I got, and my anger turned to gratitude,” said Marwa.

It is known, Marwa will take the final exam to get the full captain rank in May 2021.

She hopes that she can continue to be a role model for women in the shipping industry.

“My message to women who want to work in the maritime sector is to fight for what you love and not let negative things affect you,” he said.

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