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Last month, Marwa Elselehdar noticed something strange.
Word had spread that a huge freighter, the Ever Given, had stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking one of the world’s major shipping lanes.
But while checking her phone, she began to read various rumors on the internet that she was the culprit.
“I was surprised,” says Marwa, who is Egypt’s first female ship captain.
At the time of the Suez blockade, Elselehdar was working as a first officer, commanding the Aida IV, hundreds of kilometers away in Alejandra.
The ship where Marwa works, owned by the Egyptian Maritime Safety Authority, transports supplies to a lighthouse in the Red Sea.
It is also used to train cadets at the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), a regional university managed by the Arab League.
False rumors
Rumors of Marwa Elselehdar’s role in the Ever Given incident were largely fueled by screenshots of a fake news headline, allegedly published by Arab News, which said she was involved in the Suez incident.
The manipulated image appears to come from an article published by Arab News on March 22, describing Marwa’s success as Egypt’s first ship captain. The image has been shared dozens of times on Twitter and Facebook.
Several Twitter accounts using his name have also spread false claims that the captain was involved in the Ever Given incident.
Marwa Elselehdar, 29, told the BBC she had no idea who was the first to broadcast the story or why.
“I felt I was targeted by these rumors maybe because I’m a successful woman in this field or because I’m Egyptian, but I’m not sure,” she said.
Sexism
This isn’t the first time he’s faced challenges in an industry historically dominated by men.
Currently, women make up only 2% of the world’s seafarers, according to data from the International Maritime Organization.
Marwa says she has always loved the sea and that it was her brother who inspired her to join the Merchant Navy after registering with AASTMT.
Although the academy was only accepting men at the time, he still applied and was allowed to join after a legal review by then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
During her studies, Elselehdar says that at all times she was the victim of sexism.
“On board, they were all older men with different mindsets, so it was hard not to find like-minded people to communicate with,” he says. “It was a challenge to go through this on my own and to be able to overcome it without affecting my sanity.”
“People in our society still do not accept the idea that women work for a long time in the sea away from their families,” she adds. “But when you do what you love, you don’t need to seek everyone’s approval.”
The first one
After graduation, Marwa reached the rank of first officer and captain of the Aida IV when she became the first ship to navigate the Suez Canal after its expansion in 2015.
Around this time, she became the youngest Egyptian captain and the first woman to cross this road.
In 2017, she was also honored by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during Women’s Day celebrations in Egypt.
When rumors surfaced about his role in the Suez blockade, he feared for the impact it would have on his work.
“This bogus article was in English, so it spread to other countries,” Elselehdar explains. “I tried a lot of ways to deny what was in the article because it affected my reputation and all my efforts to get to where I am now.”
But now she says she is motivated by some of the responses she received.
“The comments on the article were very negative and harsh, but there were a lot of other supporting comments from ordinary people and people I work with,” he says. “I decided to focus on all the support and love I get, and my anger turned into appreciation.”
“Plus it’s worth mentioning that I’ve become even more famous than before,” she adds.
Next month, Marwa Elselehdar will take her final exam to reach the full rank of captain and hopes that she can continue to be a role model for women in the industry.
“My message to women who want to be in this career is to stand up for what you love and not let negativity get to you,” Marwa says.
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