I think a lot of that is because of this one quote and how the news (and the public) handled it (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/24/ever-given-a-massive-cargo-ship

I think a lot of that is because of this one quote and how the news (and the public) handled it (https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/24/ever-given-a-massive-cargo-ship-is-still-stuck-in-the-suez-canal.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/24/ever-given-a-massive-cargo-s...): > "We can't exclude it might take weeks, depending on the situation," said Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch company Boskalis. Of course that message got oversimplified as it spread. "Can't exclude" is a pretty important qualifier that suggests that it's an unlikely worst case. But that nuance already was lost in the title of that same article: "Cargo ship blocking Suez Canal could take weeks to move". If you were to read only that title, you might think it is likely to take weeks. TLDR: People thought it would take weeks because that's what they were hearing from other people.