ANNAPOLIS During Wednesday’s Board of Public Works Meeting, the topic was wetlands licenses. However, Comptroller Peter Franchot brought to mind the subject that everyone was actually thinking about: The boat.
The Ever Forward, a huge container ship that was stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for nearly a month, has become a concern for the governor and the comptroller.
Franchot, a Democrat running as governor, stated that he is still concerned about the ongoing rescue effort. Every day passes, the risk of a hull breakage increases (and) disrupts the vital Port of Baltimore. Maryland can be exposed to ecological, reputational, and economic risk from a hull breach.
The ship has been the focus of national curiosity and conversation.
You will be buried in the mud
Evergreen Marine Corp, a Taiwanese shipping company, owned the vessel. According to information from a Board of Public Works meeting, the vessel left Baltimore at 10:33 p.m. March 13. It was steered out of the Craighill Channel, and became stuck on the bottom just offshore of Pasadena.
It will have been over a month since it was wedged. Franchot stated that it measures nearly 1,096 feet in length and almost 158 feet in width. It is the largest boat to have been stuck in Chesapeake Bay.
WHAT DO WE KNOW:Nearly a month later, will it be possible for the ship that was stuck in the Chesapeake to refloat?
Doug Myers from Maryland, a senior scientist for Chesapeake Bay Foundation explained the enormity and implications of the situation in an interview with Capital News Service.
Myers said that the ship is large and very stuck. The ship measures 42 feet in depth and is located in 24 feet of water. That means that about 20 feet of the ship is covered in mud.
What next?
The Coast Guard is supporting state agencies in coordination of rescue efforts.
Following the ship’s sinking, plans to free it were immediately put into place. Initial efforts were to dredge, remove the mud around the hull and then use tow boats to pull out the ship.
The first attempt failed. Dredging continued to a depth of 43 feet and an additional tow. They did not work and dredging was stopped by William Doyle, Executive Director of Port of Baltimore Public Works.
The mud and sand dug around the boat was taken by Poplar Island to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Talbot County.
LIGHTEN THE LIFT:In an effort to free it from its shackle, a huge cargo ship will still be stuck in Chesapeake Bay.
Coast Guard officials decided that the next step was to remove cargo containers from boat to make it lighter after all attempts to free it have failed. Doyle stated that the containers will be returned at Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore. Weather permitting, the effort was scheduled to begin April 8th and last until April 15, Doyle said.
Chesapeake Bay environmental problems
Evergreen has made it possible to declare General Average on the vessel. General Average, a principle under maritime law, will allow all parties to the ship and cargo to share financial responsibility in solving the problem.
If this story sounds familiar, it is because the Ever Forward (a sister ship to Ever Given) got stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal in march 2021.
For six days, traffic was blocked by the Ever Given in the canal. As scores of ships could not pass through the canal, this incident placed pressure on global shipping. The Ever Forward does not prevent travel through the bay.
The environmental impact of a ship sitting for too long can be significant. A 500-yard safety zone was established around the vessel to prevent any negative consequences from it being grounded.
Doyle stated that top priorities for the Unified Command (and its responders) are maintaining ship stability and monitoring for signs of pollution.
Environmentalists are worried about the potential for pollution and damage. Myers said that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an organization that is not for profit and dedicated to restoration and protection, has been closely monitoring the removal efforts.
We’ve been in touch with the Department of the Environment and the Coast Guard for a few days after the grounding. They are concerned about the stress that a large ship can cause to the hull.
This type of ship is not meant to be sat on the bottom. It is designed to move. We will be very concerned until it’s freed. We are certain that no spillages have occurred.
Hogan admitted that he didn’t have a solution to grounding but did offer one suggestion.
I had a conversation with Bill Doyle about this. I said I was going to climb up on the side that ship and paint an “N” on it. NEver Forward.
