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What if that giant freed Suez Canal container ship landed in the Comox Valley?

Our Comox Valley team has a little fun with perspective in the wake of transport ship debacle
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Taking a wrong turn and somehow landing in a lake, the Ever Given in Comox Lake. Photo: Ever Given Ever Ywhere

This week began with a bit of good (international) news as salvage teams set free the Ever Given - a massive container ship that halted global trade through the Suez Canal.

On Monday (March 29), the 222,000-ton vessel was able to move away from the shoreline thanks to a combination of high tide and a flotilla of tugboats that managed to wedge the ship free.

According to the Associated Press, the ship which created a traffic jam in the popular transportation passage held up $9 billion each day in global trade. More than 19,000 ships pass through the canal last year.

While it’s unclear if the Ever Given - which was destined to Europe - will continue to its destination of Rotterdam, one thing is clear: the ship’s size was one of the many factors which challenged those who helped set it free.

Coming in at 400 metres, placed vertically, the Ever Given is nearly as long as the Empire State Building.

If it’s difficult to place that visual into context, Twitter user Garrett Dash Nelson created an app no one knew they needed: the Ever Given Ever Ywhere.

“Why should the Suez Canal have all the fun? From the comfort of home you can get the Ever Given stuck wherever you want,” he writes.

Any user can move the boat across the world, placing the boat to scale anywhere or changing its size.

“Get it stuck in a swimming pool or across the entire Atlantic Ocean,” added Nelson.

And if you’re curious, we went there.

Here’s what the ship looks like (to scale) relative to some popular Comox Valley landmarks:

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Wanting to get in some late-season skiing, the Ever Given in the parking lot of Mount Washington. Photo: Ever Given Ever Ywhere
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The Ever Given in context to the ferry at the Little River ferry terminal in Comox. Photo: Ever Given Ever Ywhere
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Confusing modes of transportation, the Ever Given on the runway at the Comox Valley Airport. Photo: Ever Given Ever Ywhere
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Truly causing a traffic nightmare, the Ever Given is stopped by the 17th Street Bridge in Courtenay on the estuary. Photo: Ever Given Ever Ywhere
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In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by one of the Suez Canal tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt, Monday, March 29, 2021. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)


Erin Haluschak

About the Author: Erin Haluschak

Erin Haluschak is a journalist with the Comox Valley Record since 2008. She is also the editor of Trio Magazine...
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