(Washington) The Ever Forward, a huge container ship belonging to the same tanker that shut down the Suez Canal a year ago, ran aground on the east coast of the United States Sunday night, a-we learned Monday from the port of Baltimore.
Posted yesterday at 10:46 PM.
“The container ship Ever Forward ran aground Sunday evening after leaving the port of Baltimore,” William Doyle, director of the Maryland Ports Authority, said in a statement sent to AFP.
This 344-meter boat, enclosed near a canal in the Chesapeake Bay, at the exit of Baltimore Harbor, “does not prevent other ships from accessing Baltimore Harbor,” the press release details.
The port authority indicates that no injuries or leaks were detected. “Efforts have been underway since last night to try to free the ship and will continue,” she said, adding that the Coast Guard “is monitoring the situation.”
Ever Forward was supposed to reach Norfolk Harbor, south of the Chesapeake Bay.
Aerial footage from local television filmed on Monday shows the huge boat at a standstill in the middle of the bay, with the company’s name written in white on the massive green hull: “Evergreen,” which became famous in spite of itself last March.
A year ago, another container ship, Ever Given, closed the Suez Canal, causing major disruption to global shipping traffic.
The nearly 200,000-ton ship was docked on the eastern bank of the canal during a sandstorm on March 23, blocking the passage between Europe and Asia, which handles about 10% of global maritime trade.
Pictures of this ship, one of the largest in the world, stuck for nearly a week across the crucial sea route, had a huge impact on social networks and international media.
