On Sunday (March 13) night, a massive cargo ship named Ever Forward, owned by the ‘Evergreen’ corporation ran aground after departing from the Port of Baltimore at the Seagirt. The development comes a year after another vessel named Ever Given, owned by the same company had blocked the Suez canal for over a week.
As per reports, the 1096-ft vessel was stranded at the Chesapeake Bay near Washington DC while it was en route to Norfolk in Virginia. Interestingly, both the Ever Forward and Ever Given are operated by the same Taiwan-based container shipping company called Evergreen Marine Corp.
William P. Doyle, the Executive Director of Maryland Port Administration, had informed, “The ship’s grounding is not preventing other ships from transiting to the Port of Baltimore. Efforts have been underway since last night to try and free the ship and will continue today. The Coast guard is monitoring the situation!”
Massive container ship #EVERFORWARD has run aground in the Chesapeake Bay.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) March 14, 2022
Yes, same operator as #EVERGIVEN.
Yes, almost exactly a year later. 1/ pic.twitter.com/z4rCjGSbzR
Ironically named the ‘Ever Forward’, the US Coast Guard is unsure about what caused the vessel to run aground. Meanwhile, the Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine Corp had hired divers to inspect the vessel for possible damages and help in refloating the ‘Ever Forward’.
As per a report in CBS Baltimore, Maryland-National Capital Region Sector Commander Capt. David O’Connell said that the Craighill Channel is 50 metres deep but the vessel got stranded in shallow waters of 25 ft depth.
A senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, John Scott-Railton, had explained the possible causes that led ‘Ever Forward’ to run aground. He informed, “Looking at charts, #EVERFORWARD may have slightly deviated from dredged navigation channel into shallower waters after departing Baltimore. And got stuck.”
Raialton added, “The #EverForward’s AIS track is… interesting. People may read it as: she missed a waypoint (didn’t make a turn) heading from Craighill Angle into Craighill Channel. Caveat: accidents = complicated & AIS tracks can be imprecise so take all guesses w/big grain of salt!”
3/ The #EverForward‘s AIS track is… interesting.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) March 15, 2022
People may read it as: she missed a waypoint (didn’t make a turn) heading from Craighill Angle into Craighill Channel.
Caveat: accidents = complicated & AIS tracks can be *imprecise* so take all guesses w/big grain of salt! pic.twitter.com/pgJN0l5W6C
The researcher informed that in all likelihood, the vessel missed a crucial turn. He said that the wind speed was not substantial and the draught was not strong.
“The #EverForward is aground in a shoal area of ~24 feet of water. She lists as 42.6 feet of draught (depth below waterline). Takeaway: VERY stuck. Getting her un-stuck & back into the 51-foot deep Craighill Channel is likely to be a big production,” he tweeted.
5/ The #EverForward is aground in a shoal area of ~24 feet of water.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) March 15, 2022
She lists as 42.6 feet of draught (depth below waterline).
Takeaway: VERY stuck. Getting her un-stuck & back into the 51 foot deep Craighill Channel is likely to be a *big production.* pic.twitter.com/laRJ4vAIdd
John Scott-Railton remarked that even a high tide could not help in refloating the ‘Ever Forward.’ He pointed out, “Investigating what led #EverForward to plow into the shoal’s mucky bottom may take a while. Pilot error? Rudder malfunction? Key info will live in the Voyage Data Recorder.”
7/ Investigating what led #EverForward to plow into the shoal’s mucky bottom may take a while.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) March 15, 2022
Pilot error? Rudder malfunction?
Key info will live in the Voyage Data Recorder.
Fun fact: the VDR capsule is often mounted on the “monkey island” (deck directly above bridge) pic.twitter.com/HQ5dBlTB3u
“Meanwhile, just to make the storyline more interesting, the #EverGiven will soon arrive at the #SuezCanal. Battling very strong headwinds at the moment. We hope she has calmer winds during her transit. No ghusts!” he concluded.
8/ Meanwhile, just to make the storyline more interesting, the #EverGiven will soon arrive at the #SuezCanal.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) March 15, 2022
Battling very strong headwinds at the moment.
We hope she has calmer winds during her transit.
No ghusts! pic.twitter.com/8ea2ZkRcMP
Suez Canal blocked by ‘Ever Given’ in March 2021
A huge container ship named ‘Ever Given’ ran aground the Suez Canal in March last year after being blown off course by a “gust of wind”. It resulted in a huge traffic jam of vessels at either end of the crucial international trade route.
The cargo ship, which is four years old now and is registered in Panama, was on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China when it got stuck in the Suez Canal. Estimates said, the block was holding up goods worth 9.6 billion dollars a day, that is 400 million dollars an hour.
Weighing 220,000 tonnes and running 400 metres long, the “mega-ship” Ever Given had jammed itself diagonally across a southern section of the canal and thereby blocked shipping traffic. On March 29, 2021, the container ship was finally refloated.
The MV Ever Given was successfully re-floated at 04:30 lt 29/03/2021. She is being secured at the moment. More information about next steps will follow once they are known. #suezcanel #maritime pic.twitter.com/f3iuYYiRRi
— Inchcape Shipping Services (@Inchcape_SS) March 29, 2021
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) had demanded $916 million in compensation from the owners of the giant Ever Given vessel. The high compensation was sought to cover the revenue loss, reputational damage and cost of salvage operations.
In June 2021, it was reported that the negotiation could not be finalized since March, leading to the ship being anchored in a lake between two stretches of the canal. The ship inspired some of the best, most creative memes in the year 2021.
Suez Canal is a crucial lane that links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and is the fastest maritime link between Asia and Europe. The watercourse, which is around 193 km long, was built by the Suez Canal Company in the mid-1860s and was officially opened in 1869.
