[imagesource: Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Reuters]

If at first, you don’t succeed, then dust yourself off and try again.

Those are not only the lyrics to Aaliyah’s ‘Try Again’, but also wise words to live by.

Five months after the Ever Given container ship blocking the Suez Canal became the most popular meme on the internet, it returned for a shot at sweet, sweet redemption.

There were many who were rooting for it to once again encounter difficulties, but the ship successfully crossed the waterway on Friday for the first time since it left Egypt after the incident.

Reuters below:

The ship, en route from the United Kingdom to China, crossed the canal among a convoy of 26 vessels sailing from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement. Another 36 ships crossed the waterway from the south.

Image: Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Reuters

A group of SCA senior pilots and two tugboats escorted the Ever Given throughout its journey through the canal, the authority said in a statement.

Such momentous occasions are best marked with videos and a bit of elevator music:

بالفيديو…عبور سفينة الحاويات البنمية العملاقة #EVERGIVEN بنجاح ضمن قافلة الشمال خلال رحلة العودة بعد تفريغ حمولتها قادمة من المملكة المتحدة ومتجهة إلى الصين #SUEZCANAL pic.twitter.com/MaEeVU6FFQ

— هيئة قناة السويس Suez Canal Authority (@SuezAuthorityEG) August 20, 2021

It’s bad news for those who wanted a second round of memes, but good news for the shipping industry.

During the six-day blockage in March, the Ever Given cost the global economy an estimated $400 million per hour, which amounts to almost $10 billion daily.

Around 15% of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal, which is the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The successful journey through the Suez Canal means that freight logistics experts like Berry & Donaldson can focus on important things, like handling airlines, shipping companies, and customs-related processes, as well as warehousing, insurance, and cargo deliveries.

Rather than having to deal with this:

What is happing in #SuezCanal today explained.#Egypt
pic.twitter.com/T06bFDGQ7q

— Zaina Erhaim (@ZainaErhaim) March 24, 2021

It never gets old.

[source:reuters]