Egypt’s first female ship captain says she was wrongly blamed for the Suez Canal debacle – which occurred while she was hundreds of miles away on another vessel.
Marwa Elselehdar, 29, was the first helmsman on command of the Aida IV in Alexandria at sea when the massive Ever Given container ship accidentally got stuck in the waterway, reports the BBC.
But online rumors and fake news headlines spread that she was behind the maritime disaster, which continued the main route for nearly a week before the Ever Given was released.
“I was shocked. I felt that I might be targeted because I’m a successful woman in this field or because I’m Egyptian, but I’m not sure,” she said.
The captain of the Ever Given has not been released, but Egyptian officials said human error may have caused the ship to run aground last month.
Elselehdar – who does not work for the shipping company – said rumors about her involvement were apparently driven by a screenshot of a doctored Arab News headline.
“This fake article was in English, so it spread to other countries,” Elselehdar told the BBC.
“I tried so hard to deny what was in the article because it affected my reputation and all the efforts I made to be where I am now.”
The false story led to trolls also coming after her.
“The comments on the article were very negative and harsh, but there were so many other supportive comments from ordinary people and people I work with,” she said.
“My message to women who want to be in the maritime field is to fight for what you love and that no negativity can affect you,” she said.