GLEN BURNIE, MD – A container ship owned by Evergreen, the Taiwanese-based cargo shipping corporation headed from Baltimore to Norfolk, ran aground on March 13th. It has been stuck there ever since. The ship might look familiar. It’s the same shipping company that blocked the Suez canal in 2021.
Is this the same ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal?
That ship was the Ever Given. The Evergreen ship now stuck just a few miles southeast of Baltimore and east of Glen Burnie, is named Ever Forward.
Refloat Efforts Have Been Unsuccessful
Past attempts to refloat the huge cargo ship have failed. This week, the U.S. Coast Guard said there will be another attempt made, but plans are also being made to empty the cargo ship to another.
“Unfortunately, recent refloat attempts, with push and pull tugboat operations, were unsuccessful and a new strategy has been approved,” the U.S. Coast Guard said. “Refloat attempts will resume next week following additional dredging to a depth of 43 feet and with the placement of two pull barges at the ship’s stern (barges anchored to the seafloor that carries exceptionally powerful winches that pull chains wrapped around the ship to release it from the seafloor and refloat it for towing back to port).”
The Coast Guard remains at the location of the stuck vessel, enforcing a 500-yard safety zone while partner agency responders continue monitoring for potential pollution and stability around-the-clock.
Emptying the container ship
Evergreen has a “general average” contract with its shipping customers, meaning the owners of the containers on the ship will be on the hook to split the costs of removal and unloading.
The Ever Forward is not blocking any commercial shipping lanes. So far, crew navigation error is suspected in the grounding.