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Massive container ship finally moving again after 5-week ordeal
Allison Finch - 23m ago
The Ever Forward is finally moving again after running aground five weeks ago in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The 2-year-old vessel was heading to Norfolk, Virginia, and missed a turn while leaving the Port of Baltimore. As a result, it ended up in the shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay where it became stranded, according to NPR.
With the help of multiple agencies and a higher tide thanks to a full moon, the nearly 1,100-foot vessel was finally freed from the Chesapeake Bay's Craighill Channel on Sunday.
The Ever Forward's five-week stay in the Chesapeake Bay came nearly one year after another ship owned by the Evergreen Marine Corp., the Ever Given container ship, was stuck in the Suez Canal for six days, resulting in worldwide trade disruptions. This time, however, the Ever Forward ship didn't disrupt any other ships from passing through the channel.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward Sunday, April 17, in the Chesapeake Bay. The 1,095-foot container ship was refloated after a five-week-long salvage operation that began Sunday, March 13 when the vessel grounded near the Craighill Channel. (Photo by George Mason University Department of Police and Public safety/released.)
Coast Guard Capt. Dave O'Connell told NPR in an interview that the Ever Forward vessel needed a depth of 42 feet of water in order to operate, but the waters where it become stuck were only 24 feet deep, meaning that it was buried in about 10 feet or so of mud.
In efforts to create water deep enough, a massive dredging effort was completed to a depth of 43 feet. The resulting 206,280 cubic yards of material from the dredging efforts were taken to Poplar Island, a small island located in the Chesapeake Bay nearly 25 miles south of where the Ever Forward was stuck. There, it will be used to offset erosion at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration project.
Once the dredging effort was completed, there were two refloating attempts on March 29 and 30. After both attempts failed, experts determined they would not be able to overcome the weight of the Ever Forward, which was loaded with 4,964 containers. According to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard, crane barges removed 500 containers from the port and starboard sides of the ship to help lighten the load from April 6 through 16.
A day later, on Easter Sunday, two pulling barges, six tugs and the rising tide from the April Full Moon all helped to free the vessel.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward Sunday, April 17, in the Chesapeake Bay. The 1,095-foot container ship was refloated after a five-week-long salvage operation that began Sunday, March 13 when the vessel grounded near the Craighill Channel. (Photo by George Mason University Department of Police and Public safety/released.)
"The vastness and complexity of this response were historic, as an incident like the Ever Forward grounding, in type and duration, is a rare occurrence," O'Connell said. "It was the collaboration of each responding agency, Evergreen Marine Corporation, and dedicated responders that resulted in the successful refloating of Ever Forward while ensuring the safety of the public and response personnel, mitigating pollution potential, and minimizing economic impacts."
The ship will be towed to the Annapolis Anchorage Grounds for inspection. Containers that were removed will be reloaded, and the vessel will finally continue its voyage to Norfolk.
"We are deeply appreciative of the efforts put forth by the U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Port Administration, local and federal Environmental Protection Agencies, and the many private service providers that were engaged, all of whom worked tirelessly to bring this event to a successful conclusion," Evergreen Line representatives said in a corporate statement.