The 1,095 foot container ship that’s been stuck in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay for over two weeks may be freed as early as Tuesday, if all goes according to
plan.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the initial attempt will involve five tug boats which will try and pull the ship from the mud and refloat it.
The Coast Guard said if this attempt to refloat the Ever Forward is unsuccessful, they will try again next week using two anchored pulling barges in addition to the tugboats.
The ship isn’t blocking maritime traffic, but environmental experts are concerned that if it remains stuck in the mud, the stress could rupture the cargo ship’s hull and cause a fuel leak.
If the Ever Forward is successfully refloated Tuesday, it will be exactly one year after it’s sister ship the, Ever Given, was freed from the Suez Canal.
"Bottom line is, the trough that's going to be left there is going to be epic proportion," Delmarva Fisheries Association Chairman Rob Newberry said.
Newberry said he worries the dredged area will have lasting effects on the bay ecosystem that could in turn affect livelihoods.
"Have they destroyed any crabs? Have they destroyed any oysters? You know this is the spawning season now for striped bass. Is this going to affect the spawning?" Newberry said.
According to the MDE, crews are monitoring the ship's fuel and water tank every four hours.
On the other hand, maybe it will create a new fishing hole. Eh, you can move mud back if you're really worried about it. In the grand scheme of things, the cost of restoring the bottom to the original contours would be a small part of the bill that Evergreen is going to face.
I'm curious as to how the ship ended up grounded there. The ship was on it's way out of Baltimore, and apparently "missed a turn." I was once on a small ship where they navigated using a mouse on a chart, plotting point to point. Did they skip a point, and cut across shallow water?
Incidentally, you can follow the Ever Forward on MarineTraffic.com
The news coverage of this mishap has been mostly hot air. Ships of this type are required to have a licensed Maryland pilot on board. No one has mentioned whether the pilot was incapacitated, incompetent, or inebriated. One of the facets of the investigation will result in a license hearing on the pilot, which should result in a suspension or revocation of that license. The pilot association will pay a lot of lawyers to try to hide this, but there is a great deal of blame to laid at the feet of the pilot.
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