Egypt’s first ship captain says she was mistakenly blamed for the Suez Canal debacle, which occurred while on a different ship hundreds of miles away.
Marwa Elselehdar, 29, was at sea as the first comrade in command of Aida IV in Alexandria when the massive container ship Ever Give was accidentally trapped on the waterway, the BBC reported.
But online rumors and fake news headlines spread that she was behind the maritime disaster, which kept the main sea route for nearly a week before the release of Ever Ever.
“I was shocked. I felt she could be a target for me, maybe because I’m a successful woman in this field or because I’m Egyptian, but I’m not sure,” she told the media.
The captain of the Ever done has not been revealed, but Egyptian officials have said the human error may have caused the ship to run aground last month.
Elselehdar, who does not work for the shipping company, said rumors about his involvement appeared to be fueled by a screenshot of an Arab News doctoral headline.
“This fake article was in English, so it spread to other countries,” Elselehdar told the BBC.
“I put a lot of effort into denying 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 caused the trolls to come looking for her as well.
“The comments on the article were very negative and harsh, but there were so many other supportive comments from normal people and people I work with,” he said.
“My message to women who want to be in the maritime field is to fight for what you love and not let any negativity affect you,” she said.