Before the infrastructure funds are deployed totally and by the time the Army Corps of Engineers put their act together and get the shipping channels in the United States worthy of freely receiving the mega box ships, more box ships are likely to taste mud.
This time, Evergreen is unlucky again. Almost less than a fortnight into the anniversary of the Ever Given being stuck in the Suez canal, Ever Forward gets stuck in the mud in the Chesapeake Bay
Officials believe it could take at least 10 days more before the 12,000 TEU ship is being floated again.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) was entrusted with the maintenance dredging in the Chesapeake Bay. As per reports, the channel is a 700-foot (210 meters) wide path that is dredged to a depth of 52 feet to accommodate large cargo ships. Water depths adjacent to the channel range from 25 feet to shoals of 17 feet, according to nautical charts, and the Ever Forward needs about 43 feet of water to safely operate. This project is part of the Inland Waterway Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay Project, which helps ensure safe and reliable maritime commerce from the Delaware Bay to the Chesapeake.
Officials say it could a tough task to free the massive container ship, the Ever Forward, stranded near Gibson Island. Authorities are still clueless, how to refloat the nearly 1,100 foot long (335 meters) Ever Forward, owned by the Taiwanese company called EVER GREEN. It was on its way to Norfolk, Virginia from Port of Baltimore. The vessel ran aground outside the Craighill Channel east of Gibson Island and Pasadena.
“It’s essentially stuck in the mud,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Cynthia Oldham, a spokesperson, noting the Ever Forward is particularly large for a cargo ship and is stacked with containers, making it more difficult to refloat the vessel.
Donjon Smit has been roped into the rescue operation and experts are assessing the vessel’s grounding condition, the weight of its cargo and the tidal range at the location as they plan to refloat the vessel. Incidently, Smit also rescued the even bigger Box ship, the Ever Given from the Suez, last year.
The Coast Guard is investigating how the ship ran off course Sunday night and has not disclosed any findings. Oldham said she did not know if a local pilot was operating the vessel at the time. Maryland law requires foreign vessels to employ a pilot licensed by the state to operate the craft in state waters.
Smit’s expertise should come in handy and if required, more experts should be roped in as pull the vessel to safety as early as possible.
