Name: Egypt's first female ship captain says she didn't ground the Ever Given
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Egypt's first female ship captain says she didn't ground the Ever Given

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This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. BEIRUT —&nbsp;Egypt’s first female ship’s captain says she was subject to a fake news campaign blaming her for grounding the Ever Given container ship in the Suez Canal, despite working on a ship that was hundreds of miles away at the time. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Marwa Elselehdar was working as a first mate in command of the Aida IV in Alexandria when the 220,000-ton Ever Given got stuck, blocking one of the world’s busiest shipping routes for six days. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or. The 29-year-old is a figure celebrated by feminists in Egypt. In 2015 she became both the youngest and the first female Egyptian captain to navigate the newly-expanded Suez Canal. Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Two years later she was honoured by the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, during women’s day celebrations. Her Instagram – a collection of motivational messages and her life on board – boasts over 30,000 followers. But when the Ever Given became an online sensation, a rumour mill was telling the world that she was to blame. “I felt that I might be targeted, maybe because I’m a successful female in this field or because I’m Egyptian, but I’m not sure,” she told the BBC. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Headlines that had previously celebrated her successes were doctored to say she was to blame and fake social media accounts were set up in her name. The rumour was spreading widely in Egypt and Elselehdar was concerned her reputation could be damaged. “This fake article was in English so it spread in other countries,” she said. “I tried so hard to negate what was in the article because it was affecting my reputation and all the efforts I exerted to be where I am now.” In an interview with BBC Arabic, Elselehdar said that she had faced sexism at every turn of her education. She studied at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria at a time when only men were admitted. She applied despite the restrictions and was only accepted after a legal review by Hosni Mubarak, then the president. “People in our society still don’t accept the idea of girls working in the sea away from their families for a long time,” she told the BBC. “But when you do what you love, it is not necessary for you to seek the approval of everyone.” After addressing the fake news in a video on her Instagram account, Elselehdar said she was encouraged by the response, despite the comments that she had received. Women account for only 2 per cent of the world’s seafarers, according to the International Maritime Organization. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about . By continuing to use our site, you agree to our and . OK

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. BEIRUT —&nbsp;Egypt’s first female ship’s captain says she was subject to a fake news campaign blaming her for grounding the Ever Given container ship in the Suez Canal, despite working on a ship that was hundreds of miles away at the time. Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Marwa Elselehdar was working as a first mate in command of the Aida IV in Alexandria when the 220,000-ton Ever Given got stuck, blocking one of the world’s busiest shipping routes for six...

Egypt's first female ship captain says she didn't ground the Ever Given

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