Evergreen container ship “Ever Forward” hasn’t budged for 17 days since grounding on US east coast
An Evergreen container ship is still stuck after several attempts to move it, including dredging the muddy bottom, since it ran aground more than two weeks ago.
The 334-meter-long 12,000 TEU Ever Forward, owned by Evergreen Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Taiwanese shipping and transportation giant Evergreen Marine Corporation, became stranded after grounding in shallow water north of Chesapeake Bay, shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore on March 13 bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
The vessel and cargo did not sustain damage, there was no pollution caused by the incident, nor obstruction of the waterway, according to reports.
Evergreen Marine said that an emergency response mechanism was activated immediately following the incident, and the professional salvage company Donjon-Smit was hired to conduct on-site inspections and draw up a plan to refloat the ship.
After attempts to pull the ship into deeper water failed, dredging around the ship began on March 20. Attempts were then made to tow the ship again on March 29, and 30, but the Ever Forward did not budge.
According to orders from the maritime authorities, after two failed attempts, the cargo must be unloaded to increase the buoyancy of the vessel.
The Ever Forward ran aground almost to the day one year after the company’s vessel Ever Given got stuck and blocked the Suez Canal, sparking jokes on social media.
“March is International Evergreen Marine Corp Container Ship Runs Aground Month,” wrote one wit in a tweet highlighted by the New York Times.
Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.