The Suez Canal was opened in November 1869
A ship stuck in a 152 year old canal is a perfect metaphor for our “living on borrowed time” approach to infrastructure.
SS Great Eastern was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers from England to Australia without refuelling. Her length of 692 feet (211 m) was only surpassed in 1899. The ship was 82 ft wide, with a draught of 20 ft.
The stuck ass Ever Given is 1,312 feet long with a width of 194 feet.
You should go watch one of the many time-lapse videos from the POV of a ship transiting the Suez Canal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3hLZJZmlI
There is something awesome – but “uncanny valley” – about a giant ship driving through the desert on a ribbon of water.
Use this app to put the Evergiven to scale in any location in the world. Hours of fun!
http://evergiven-everywhere.glitch.me/