More than a month to save the ‘brother’ ship Ever Given that ran aground

It took five weeks and three attempts, until about 7 am on Sunday (April 17), the Ever Forward was successfully rescued in the Chesapeake Bay (USA). This ship also belongs to the same company that operates the Ever Given ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal exactly a year ago.

Loaded with nearly 5,000 containers, the Ever Forward was on its way to Norfolk (Virginia) from Baltimore (Maryland) when it ran aground in the bay near Craighill Canal near the Atlantic coast of the US, on March 13. “Initial reports indicate no injury, contamination or damage to the vessel as a result of stranding,” the US Coast Guard said in a statement at the time.

Ever Forward’s good fortune is that it is stranded about 32 kilometers southeast of Baltimore, not obstructing the creek like the Ever Given “brother” incident that disrupted global logistics exactly a year earlier.

The Coast Guard, along with Maryland’s environment agency, and Evergreen Marine dredged beneath the ship for a week. Two weeks after she ran aground, her first attempt to rescue her was unsuccessful.

They tried again the next day, but the ship still wouldn’t budge. “The rescue experts determined that they would not be able to succeed because the Ever Forward was overloaded,” the US Coast Guard said later.

On April 4, authorities announced a new plan. They will continue to dredge the 13-meter-deep sediment, while unloading Ever Forward containers onto the barge and bringing them back to Baltimore. Once the ship’s load is relieved, tugs and barges will attempt to tow it to the shoal while authorities continue to monitor the potential for contamination. A naval architect and salvage specialist will remotely monitor the ship’s stability.

The new strategy will take about two weeks, according to the coast guard, adding that it offers “the best chance for Ever Forwar to make a successful comeback”. Early on Sunday (April 17), the last attempt was successful. The one floated back and was freed by 2 barges and 5 tugs.

Then, the ship’s water tanks will be filled to ensure the ship can safely pass the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on its way to an anchorage off Annapolis. Maritime inspectors will inspect the hull before the Coast Guard allows it to return to the Port of Baltimore to retrieve the unloaded containers.

In a statement, the agency said it had to unload 500 containers from the ship and dredge more than 200,000 cubic meters of sandy soil from the estuary. They will be used to shore up erosion at Poplar Island, a three-mile stretch of land in the Chesapeake Bay.

Captain David O’Connell, Maryland Coast Guard Commander, said it was a “rare thing to happen”. He also called the scale and complexity of the rescue “historic”. Authorities are still investigating why the ship ran aground.

Ever Forward became stranded about a year after Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, blocked the Suez Canal. Ever Given, long stuck on March 23, 2021 in a canal that is believed to handle about 10% of global commercial maritime traffic. At that time, 367 ships could not pass through the canal. The accident was a major blow to the shipping industry, freezing nearly $10 billion in daily trade.

As for Ever Forward, in a statement, William Doyle, Executive Director of the Maryland Port Authority, described the mission to rescue it as a “superior effort,” aided by “the rising tides of the owner.” Easter Sunday in the Chesapeake Bay”.

Session An (according to NYT, Fox)