The sister ship of Ever Given, which blocked the Suez Canal in Egypt last year, Ever Forward, has run aground in the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore in the US state of Maryland.
Operated by Evergreen Marine Corp Taiwan, the 1,096ft long vessel was headed towards Norfolk, Virginia, after leaving the Port of Baltimore Seagirt Terminal, reported Bloomberg.
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Grounded outside of the canal, the Ever Forward is not obstructing other ships heading towards the Port of Baltimore.
The Coast Guard is inspecting the ship every four hours to safeguard the crew and marine life, reported Reuters, citing Petty Officer 3rd Class Breanna Centeno.
In an emailed statement, Evergreen Marine stated that the incident has not resulted in fuel leakage, reported the news agency. The cause of the incident is currently being investigated.
“Evergreen is arranging for divers to conduct underwater inspections to confirm any damage to the vessel, and is coordinating with all the concerned parties to refloat the ship as soon as possible,” the shipping company was quoted as saying.
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By GlobalDataThe incident did not lead to injuries, damage to the vessel or pollution, reported CBS Baltimore.
Last March, the 200,000t Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal.
The container vessel was freed from the shoreline at the end of the same month, after disrupting global trade for nearly a week.
The following month, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) demanded $900m in compensation for the losses incurred by the blocking of marine traffic. However, the authority later settled on a $550m compensation deal with the owners of Ever Given.
