Officials say that it could take up to 10 days for the ship to be able again, as it is a complex and rare mission.
Ava-Joye Burnett, CBS Baltimore, and U.S Coast Guard investigators travelled out to the bay on Friday morning as they attempted to bring the vessel afloat.
Captain David O’Connell of the Maryland-National Capital Region section Sector Commander stated that it was rare for a vessel in the Chesapeake Bay to become aground before the excursion. He is responsible for all maritime safety, security, and environmental missions within the region.
“I’ve been here for a year, and this is the first major incident that we’ve had at the port. It’s an amazing sight and complex operation, as you’ll see when you go out there,” he stated.
The Ever Forward was a huge cargo ship that ran aground in mud 24 feet deep on Sunday night.
O’Connell stated that the current length of the vessel is 24 feet. As it moved outside the channel, the animal almost got buried in the bank. It’s difficult to just pull it out by putting some tugs on the thing.
Even seasoned professionals were impressed by the ship.
Geoffrey Donahue is the director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness for the Maryland Department of the Environment.
On its side, the vessel looks like a skyscraper. It measures more than 100 feet in length and has more than 4,900 containers.
An engineering team, divers and investigators are working together to make the move possible. Because there are 2,200 tons fuel aboard, the department of environment is also involved. They want to ensure that nothing is leaking.
Donahue stated that rustling could cause more problems than we currently have. “The pollution risk compromising the vessel’s stability if we pull on it and place it in an unstable situation, we can cause containers fall off, fuel release, and that kind of thing.” Oder further damage to shipping channels, which are not currently affected.”
Last year was the last time this happened. A ship belonging to the same company became stuck and blocked Egypt’s Suez Canal. This caused global trade disruptions worth billions of dollars per day.
Other ships can pass through the bay. However, it could take several weeks to get the Ever Forward moving again.
An Associated Press report states that the plan to refloat a ship involves lightening the ballast and dredging the mud surrounding the ship. The ship will then be refloated at high tide using tugboats and the ship’s engines. Authorities must approve the plan.
O’Connell stated that it would take approximately 10 days for the dredging operation to start. “We are still waiting for the larger plan to be reviewed. We expect that later today.
No leaks have been found as of yet, however, the crew will be monitoring certain elements every four hours in order to ensure that they don’t change.
