LESS than a year after Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal, Ever Forward has run aground off the east coast of the US.
DCN understands the containership, operated by Evergreen Line, grounded in the Chesapeake Bay shortly after departing from Maryland’s Port of Baltimore.
The Hong Kong-flagged vessel was sailing to Norfolk, Virginia.
A report from Reuters suggests the US Coast Guard was informed of the incident on Sunday and has been conducting checks every four hours to ensure the safety of the crew onboard.
The Coast Guard has reportedly confirmed the ship is grounded outside of the canal and is not blocking the traffic of other container ships.
In an email statement to Reuters, Evergreen Marine said the incident did not cause a fuel leakage and did not block the navigation channel or disrupt traffic entering or leaving the port.
“Evergreen is arranging for divers to conduct underwater inspections to confirm any damage to the vessel, and is co-ordinating with all the concerned parties to refloat the ship as soon as possible,” the company said.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation by the competent authority.”
According to Associated Press, Evergreen has stated the company is arranging for divers to conduct underwater inspections to confirm any damage.
AP said technical experts boarded Ever Forward on Monday to evaluate the ship’s condition, while other experts work with divers to decide how to free the ship.
DCN understands the cause of the grounding has not yet been determined.
