![]() The wetlands license requires Donjon-SMIT to assess the dredging impacts to a natural oyster bar, provide a report to the MDE Tidal Wetlands Division now that Ever Forward was removed and develop a mitigation plan for impacts to the oyster bar, Apperson said.ĭredging permits in non-emergency situations usually require a year of environmental review and an environmental impact statement, according to Myers. The agency issued an emergency wetlands license for dredging to Donjon-SMIT, a salvage team involved in dislodging Ever Forward. The U.S Coast Guard, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the shipping company took steps to mitigate any environmental harm, by regularly monitoring the fuel tanks on the ship and preparing a containment boom, or a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill, in the event one happened, to make recovery easier, according to Jay Apperson, the spokesman for MDE. He said he hopes that there are changes to state policy so that Maryland can be as prepared as possible if another ship runs aground in the Bay. “I think this was a wake-up call as far as the risk of a fuel or oil spill,” Myers said. ![]() And below 20 feet, there is not as much dissolved oxygen to support marine life. “When a vessel like grounds, it’s basically plowing into all of that and probably killing all of the organisms that are in there,” Myers said. The mud bottoms also include buried oyster shells, which have good habitat value, but dredging doubled the depth of the Bay, he continued. On Easter Sunday morning, two pulling barges, two tugs from Donjon-SMIT, two tugs from Moran and two tugs from McAllister freed the Ever Forward ship - 35 days after it ran aground.īefore dredging, the Bay water was only around 20 feet deep with enough oxygen at the bottom to support marine life such as clams, according to Doug Myers, a scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Coast Guard, the Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation removed 500 containers with two crane barges during daylight hours and directed them to Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore. After two days of failed attempts to set the large ship free, authorities decided to reduce the weight of the ship by removing some of its 4,964 containers.įor the last two weeks, a coordinated team consisting of the U.S. The material dredged was taken to Polar Island. But the costs associated with trying to dislodge the ship and its environmental impacts to the Bay remain unclear.Īttempts to refloat the ship, owned by Evergreen Marine Corporation, began at the end of March, when authorities dredged around the vessel and removed debris and mud to a depth of 43 feet. ![]() Coast Guard, via WTOP.Ī 1,095-foot container ship called Ever Forward is finally moving again after it ran aground near Craighill Channel in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13. At present, any speculation regarding the potential influence on the area can only be considered hypothetical.The Ever Forward was freed early Sunday morning after being stuck over a month. ”We are pleased the outcome of the refloating operation did not result in any discharge or leakage that might have been detrimental to the environment. Tsai has replied to the letter, but Evergreen has not publicized the contents. In the letter, Franchot expressed his concern over the potential long-term consequences of the grounding for the ecosystem in Chesapeake Bay. ![]() The proposal was presented in a letter from Peter Franchot, state comptroller, to Evergreen CEO Benjamin Tsai. ![]() Maryland authorities have also asked Evergreen to contribute USD 100m to a special fund meant to handle the environmental consequences of the grounding. Speculation on environmental impact ”hypothetical” According to the carrier, all costs have not been accounted for, and when that happens, the sum will not be made public. The expenses of the salvage operation could amount to many millions of dollars. In all respects, the status of the vessel can be considered to be ’back to normal,’” writes container line Evergreen in a response to a series of questions from ShippingWatch.īut while things are back to normal on board Ever Forward, there may be a lengthy aftermath following the incident and the costly salvage operation, which did not bring the 334-meter container ship out of Chesapeake Bay’s muddy floor until April 17. ”Ever Forward has passed safety inspection after the successful refloating operation. Vessel Ever Forward has resumed the sailing that stopped on March 13, when the ship ran aground in Chesapeake Bay off Baltimore, Maryland, on the US east coast with approximately 5,000 containers on board. ![]()
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