Abdallah Abdelgawad, who operated the small excavator, did not expect to become famous on social media one day. However, from anonymity, he actually became a star widely praised.
Earlier last week, the Suez Canal story had a happy ending when the giant cargo ship Ever Given was finally ashore after clogging the famous trade route for nearly a week.
26-year-old excavator driver Abdallah Abdelgawad The incident attracted worldwide attention. As a very important trade route for the world economy, the temporary closure of the canal caused the name Suez to appear in newspapers and social media posts. 
Photo: Reuters 
The size difference was too great between the two objects The image shared with dizzying speed of a small excavator trying to rescue the giant ship has surprised many people. The huge difference in the size of the two objects makes one think of an ant trying to get an elephant out of troubled waters. Abdallah Abdelgawad, who operated the small excavator, did not expect to become famous on social media one day. However, from anonymity, he actually became a star widely praised. At 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 23, Abdelgawad arrived at his workplace as usual. However, the gates are closed and prohibited from entering. “I asked a person and he said there was a boat blocking the canal,” said Abdelgawad, 26. He and his colleagues returned to their residence at Al Arbain, 30 minutes away. An hour later, Abdelgawad received a call from his manager, asking him to immediately go to the east bank of the canal. A Suez Canal Authority car was waiting to take him away. “I told him we were not allowed into the work site because a ship was blocking the channel,” the manager said. “You will come to work on that ship,” recalled Abdelgawad. While the authorities attempted to rescue the ship, Abdelgawad alone dug the silt under the giant ship’s bow. He worked nonstop for more than a day until someone else changed his shift. For the next 5 days, he only had 3-4 hours of rest in each working day to clear the maritime route connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. After extraordinary efforts, including a contribution from Abdelgawad, the super ship Ever Given was successfully rescued. In those days, when his family was worried about his health and phoned every day to inquire, pictures of the giant ship by the excavator were circulating on the Internet. “On social media, they said the excavator and me with the ship were like” ants and an elephant. ” At first I was sad, but then it felt normal that we were finally able to rescue the ship, ”Abdelgawad said in an interview. “On Monday, I was really exhausted. But when the ship was successfully rescued, I caught a video as it started to move,” he said proudly. My Facebook account and said that this achievement is due to my tiny miner. I feel as if I have won a war, “he added. 
Abdallah Abdelgawad takes a selfie with his excavator. – Photo: Facebook Abdallah Abdelgawad 
Abdallah Abdelgawad poses with workers at the spot along the Suez Canal, where the container ship Ever Given was stranded. 
Abdelgawad is paid 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($ 190) a month for his work as a excavator. After this incident, he was greeted as a “hero” when he returned to his small village on the outskirts of the city of Shirbin in Daqhaliyah province. “I know I did something big, when everyone gathered around me I felt proud and my dad said,” You made me proud. ” My phone still keeps ringing. I want to sleep, but I can’t sleep, ”he laughed. “My life has changed because of those pictures.” Even though his social media posts have earned him popularity, Abdelgawad has a message he wants to reach out to all those who mock him. “Don’t make fun of the weak or look down on them. This tiny excavator played a huge role in moving a ship more than 500 times its size. Now, I feel extremely proud of what I have done. I hope you all are proud of me too. ” Said Abdelgawad.
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