(Bloomberg) -- Salvage operations will last at least two more weeks to free a massive cargo ship grounded in the Chesapeake Bay as cranes and barges are positioned to removing containers from the bogged vessel before efforts can resume to tow it into deeper water.

The new strategy to lighten the load “offers the best chance of successfully refloating” the Ever Forward, Evergreen Marine Corp.’s 1,096-foot (334-meter) container carrier, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard. Dredging will continue, and the shipping channel will stay open to one-way traffic during the next phase, with a safety perimeter of 457 meters remaining in effect.

Once removed by crane, the containers will be ferried back to the Port of Baltimore, the statement said. The ship, with a capacity to carry almost 12,000 20-foot shipping containers, ran aground March 13.

Last week Taiwan-based Evergreen declared general average, a legal step that requires cargo owners to split the recovery costs.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.














Ever Forward, ‘cousin’ ship to Ever Given, 

still stuck after 3 weeks


By Sarah Do Couto 

 Global News
Posted April 5, 2022

 Drone video shows the massive container ship Ever Forward run aground in the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore, Maryland, nearly a year after another ship belonging to the same company blocked the Suez canal for six days. – Mar 15, 2022

After three weeks stuck in the Chesapeake Bay, the massive container ship Ever Forward still isn’t free.

Despite the ongoing dredging and tugging, the ironically named ship has yet to budge, so officials are moving on to plan B — unload the Ever Forward’s nearly 5,000 shipping containers to refloat the vessel.

The container ship Ever Forward, which ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast near Pasadena, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez). Associated Press

The Ever Forward, a 334-metre (over 1,095 feet) container ship, trapped itself in the Chesapeake Bay in March, a year to the month its cousin, the Ever Given, blocked the Suez Canal in Egypt.

The Hong Kong-flagged Ever Forward ran aground on March 13 after departing the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The ship was en route to Norfolk, Va.

On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the containers would be removed from the Ever Forward to lighten the ship’s load before attempting again to float the lodged vessel.

“Salvage experts determined they would not be able to overcome the ground force of the EVER FORWARD in its current loaded condition,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.

As was the previous plan, crews will now continue to dredge to a depth of 43 feet while two additional cranes are installed to lift and remove the storage containers. When the Ever Forward became lodged, it was reportedly in only 25 feet of water.

Ever Forward’s position in Chesapeake Bay (Source: Marine Traffic). Marine Traffic

The containers will be removed from the ship and shuttled back to their original onboarding facility, Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, where they will be offloaded, the Coast Guard said.

Once removed, tugs and pull barges will attempt to refloat the Ever Forward.

The operation is expected to take approximately two weeks, though the timeline is dependent on the weather.

“Ensuring the ship’s stability and monitoring for any signs of pollution continue to be top priorities for the Unified Command and responders,” the Coast Guard said.

As of now, there have been no reports of injuries, damage or pollution.

The reason the ship ran aground is unknown; unlike its cousin the Ever Given, the Ever Forward has (thankfully) not blocked the navigation of other ships.