Shipwreck in the USA: Stuck in the mud of the Chesapeake Bay

For weeks, the container ship “Ever Forward” has been stuck in the mud off the US coast – a sister ship of the “Ever Given”, which is notorious because of the Suez Canal accident. Rescue attempts failed. And now?

The Chesapeake Bay has a new attraction. Local television has come to the small park in Pasadena, Maryland, and a little boy is supposed to say to the camera what he sees: “Shipping containers”. That’s hard for him to hear.

Shipping container, but that’s also a difficult word. There are in fact thousands of them on display, all piled onto a cargo ship with the name Evergreen written on it in big letters. That’s the name of the logistics company. The ship itself is called “Ever Forward” – but that’s not happening right now. The “Ever Forward” has been stuck in the mud of the big bay for weeks. Coming from Baltimore, she ran aground within sight of the park.

“The ship has a water depth of 13 meters, that’s how deep it takes to swim,” said Captain John Martino of the Annapolis Maritime School on ABC television. “But it’s in a body of water that’s only seven meters deep. So it’s pretty much stuck.”

Wasn’t that something?

That sounds familiar. A sister ship of the “Ever Forward”, the “Ever Given”, got stuck in the Suez Canal last year, blocking one of the most important sea routes in the world. It’s different in the Chesapeake Bay.

The cargo ship is not grounded in the fairway but outside. But companies and private individuals are urgently waiting for the almost 5,000 containers to be delivered. Customer Tracy Alloway complains to ABC TV that her entire former home is in there, everything that she and her husband own.

An ancient law is discovered

And now there is financial trouble. The forwarding agency relies on a very old law, according to which the owner of the freight should be financially involved in the salvage of the ship.

Not so fast, warns Sal Mercogliano, a shipping expert, in his video blog. First of all, it has to be clarified how the accident happened: “When a ship leaves Baltimore, there is someone physically at the helm or at the control points of this ship!” So was it a mistake by the helmsman or force majeure?

The containers have to be disembarked

Two attempts to tow the ship free failed. Now there is nothing left but to unload the almost 5000 containers and bring them back to Baltimore. This can take a while.

That’s not good, says expert Mercogliano. The ship has been sitting on its ground since mid-March, but ships are not made for that. He fears cracks will form, especially if the ship is tossed in a storm. And all the fuel is still on board.

Concern about the water quality

For decades, the states that border it have tried to improve the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Above all, fertilizers from agriculture put a strain on the ecosystem. Should oil leak from the “Ever Forward”, it could be dangerous for fish and oysters.

Either way, the spectators on the shore will have a long time to practice how to pronounce “ship container”.