The 1,096-foot long cargo vessel the Ever Forward ran aground off the coast of Baltimore, USA, on 13 March, the Daily Mail reports. Both ships are owned by Evergreen marine, the Taiwanese company that operates the Ever Given, which caused the Suez Canal blockage almost one year ago.
Work was ongoing to re-float the vessel three days after it became stuck, NPR reports. A joint operation was underway between the Coast Guard, and the Maryland Department of the Environment. The reason the ship ran aground is yet to be established.
William Doyle, executive director of the Port of Baltimore, said: "Technical experts boarded the Ever Forward Monday and Tuesday to evaluate ... its condition. A salvage team, Naval architects and divers are working to determine the best course of action to free the ship."
The military branch added: “The Coast Guard is enforcing a 500-yard safety zone around the Ever Forward to ensure the safety of those on and around the vessel as well as the safety of the marine environment during ongoing salvage operations.”
Fortunately, no sign of damage, injuries, or pollution has been found, and the vessel isn’t causing blockages to other traffic, unlike the unfortunate Ever Given. The Ever Forward was carrying general cargo to Norfolk, Virginia, when it grounded in the Craighill Channel.
Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the USA, at over 200 miles long from its northern starting point in Maryland. It is important as both a trading route and an ecological site. About 150 rivers flow into its 64,299-square-mile drainage basin, which encompasses six states.
The bay has been a busy shipping channel since the 1850s, with several ports including the Port of Baltimore, which handles large vessels such as the Ever Forward. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal carries cargo ships further north to the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia.
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