Ever Forward ship successfully refloated after 35 days running aground

The Ever Forward was rescued in Chesapeake Bay (Image: Jerry Jackson | Baltimore Sun)

 
The Ever Forward vessel (12,000 teu) was successfully refloated Sunday morning after being grounded since March 13 in the Chesapeake Bay near Craighill Canal while sailing from the Port of Baltimore.

This was Evergreen Marine's third attempt to rescue the container ship after operations on March 29 and 30 failed to free the ship. Previous efforts had been made by dredging around the ship, however, it was determined that the Ever Forward needed to handle unloading some of the 4,964 containers on board.

After the first two unsuccessful rescue attempts for the Ever Forward, Evergreen declared General Average for the ship and its cargo.

Between April 9 and 16, about 500 containers, about 10% on board, were unloaded by crane barge and then transported to the Seagirt Marine Port in Baltimore.

On Sunday morning, at high tide, two tug barges, two tugs from Donjon-SMIT, two tugs from Moran and two tugs from McAllister, were able to pull the Ever Forward to the surface successfully.

“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,” said Capt. David O'Connell, commander of the US Coast Guard Maryland-National Capital Region.

“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 minimising economic impacts.”

The Ever Forward is towed to the Annapolis Anchorage Grounds (Image: Jerry Jackson | Baltimore Sun)

The ship will now be towed to the Annapolis Anchorage Grounds for inspection, before being able to return to the Port of Baltimore to reload the containers and continue on to Norfolk, Virginia.

“We are deeply appreciative of the efforts put forth by the US 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 said. 

The rescue of the Ever Forward has captured the attention and imagination of the public and is almost exactly a year after the Ever Given ship ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, blocking the key waterway for six days and caused massive damage in the global supply chain.

See more:

• Evergreen claims General Average for Ever Forward that ran aground in Chesapeake Bay
• Evergreen's Ever Forward vessel runs aground in Chesapeake Bay
• Evergreen's profit increased 9 times, reaching US$9.5 billion in 2021
• Global supply chain disruption expected through 2022

Source: Phaata.com (According to SeatradeMaritimes)

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