Posted on April 6, 2022
GIBSON ISLAND, Md. —
Crews will remove the shipping containers from the Ever Forward, a container ship that has been stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that salvage experts determined they can’t overcome the ground force of the Ever Forward in its current loaded condition. Once the containers are removed, crews will again try to refloat the ship.
Two crane barges will be installed to remove the containers during daylight hours. The barges will take the containers back to the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore.
Once the containers are removed, tugs and pull barges will attempt another refloat of the Ever Forward.
The Coast Guard said staging of the equipment is expected to begin Wednesday, and the operation should take about two weeks, depending on weather conditions and other variables.
The shipping channel will remain open to one-way traffic during these operations, and a 500-yard safety zone will remain around the ship.
The Ever Forward salvage operation began March 13 after the 1,095-foot container ship grounded in the Chesapeake Bay near Craighill Channel.
