Hong Kong-flagged Ever Forward cargo ship runs aground in US, year after Suez Canal Ever Given fiasco
- The 334-metre Ever Forward ran aground in Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore on Sunday night
- Ship is operated by Evergreen Marine, the same Taiwanese company that operates the Ever Given
A year after a giant container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal for almost a week and disrupted global trade for months, another Evergreen Marine vessel has run aground, this time near the US capital.
The Hong Kong-flagged Ever Forward got stranded after departing the Port of Baltimore Seagirt Terminal on Sunday night.
The 334-metre (1,096-foot) vessel was en route to Norfolk, Virginia, when it got stuck in the Chesapeake Bay. The ship ran aground outside the main navigation corridor, the Craighill Channel.
“The ship’s grounding is not preventing other ships from transiting to the Port of Baltimore,” Maryland Port Administration Executive Director William Doyle said in a statement. “Efforts have been under way since last night to try and free the ship and will continue today. The Coast Guard is monitoring the situation.”
Evergreen has arranged for divers to inspect the vessel for any damage and is participating in coordinated efforts to refloat the ship as soon as possible, the Taiwan-based company said. An investigation into the cause of the grounding is under way, the company added.
Evergreen Marine said in an emailed statement that the incident had not caused a fuel leakage, and did not block the navigation channel or disrupt traffic entering or leaving the port.
Officials haven’t yet determined what caused the ship to run aground, the US Coast Guard said.
