A Year After Suez Blockage, Another Evergreen Ship Is Mired in the Chesapeake

A container ship operated by the identical firm whose vessel blocked the Suez Canal final 12 months, holding up billions of {dollars} in international commerce for practically every week, has been caught within the Chesapeake Bay since Sunday evening, based on officers in Maryland.

The 1,095-foot Ever Ahead was on its technique to Norfolk, Va., from Baltimore when it ran aground within the bay close to the Craighill Channel, stated Petty Officer Third Class Breanna Centeno, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard.

A salvage staff, Naval architects and divers had been working to free the ship, William P. Doyle, government director of the Maryland Port Administration, stated in a press release. The Coast Guard is main the salvage efforts, he stated.

There have been no accidents and no “pollution-related spills,” Mr. Doyle stated. Petty Officer Centeno stated the ship was not carrying hazardous supplies.

The ship grew to become practically a 12 months after the Ever Given, one of many world’s largest container ships, ran aground within the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, blocking a channel that’s believed to deal with about 10 p.c of world business maritime site visitors.

It took six days to free the ship and by then, 367 vessels had been ready to move by the canal, which serves as a significant channel linking the factories of Asia to prosperous prospects in Europe, in addition to a serious conduit for oil. The episode was a catastrophe for the transport trade, damming up worldwide transport and freezing practically $10 billion in commerce a day.

The mishap involving the Ever Ahead, which, just like the Ever Given, is operated by Evergreen Marine Corp., seemed to be far much less catastrophic, based on the authorities in Maryland.

“The ship’s grounding has not prevented different ships from transiting into or out of the Port of Baltimore,” Mr. Doyle stated. “Enterprise and commerce associated actions on the Port of Baltimore proceed as regular.”

Nonetheless, the ship ran aground at a time when international provide chains stay in upheaval due to the coronavirus pandemic. The timing additionally gave rise to a contemporary spherical of jokes on the web, which final 12 months reveled within the Ever Given’s travails.

“March is Worldwide Evergreen Marine Corp Container Ship Runs Aground Month,” one Twitter user wrote. “What are you doing to have a good time?”

Evergreen Marine Corp. didn’t instantly reply to a message in search of remark.

The alert from the Ever Ahead got here in at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Petty Officer Centeno stated. The ship had departed from Baltimore that day and was alleged to arrive in Virginia on Thursday, based on the vessel’s schedule.

The Coast Guard stated it had not decided how the Ever Ahead grew to become caught.

“As soon as the vessel is refloated,” Petty Officer Centeno stated, “we’ll examine the trigger.”