Giant container ship aground in U.S. bay freed after vast salvage operation

The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward in the Chesapeake Bay, the United States, April 17, 2022. (George Mason University Department of Police and Public Safety/Handout via Xinhua)

"The vastness and complexity of this response were historic, as an incident like the Ever Forward grounding, in type and duration, is a rare occurrence," says Captain David O'Connell.

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A giant container ship named the Ever Forward with more than 4,000 containers aboard was refloated on Sunday more than a month after it ran aground on the East Coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The ship -- which became stranded in the Chesapeake Bay on March 13 after departing the Port of Baltimore for Norfolk, Virginia -- was freed around 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) following a 35-day salvage operation.

This came after two unsuccessful refloat attempts, as well as days of dredging and removal of 500 containers from the 334-meter Ever Forward.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment and Evergreen Marine Corporation, in partnership with multiple state and local responders, refloat the Ever Forward in the Chesapeake Bay, the United States, April 17, 2022. (U.S. Coast Guard/Devin Erfourth/Handout via Xinhua)

"The vastness and complexity of this response were historic, as an incident like the Ever Forward grounding, in type and duration, is a rare occurrence," Captain David O'Connell, commander of Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, said in a statement.

The Ever Forward will be towed to the Annapolis Anchorage Grounds for inspection, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The ship will be reloaded with the containers that had been removed and continue its voyage to its next port of call in Norfolk.

The Ever Forward is operated by Evergreen Marine Corp., whose Ever Given got stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal in March 2021, blocking the waterway for days and causing delays in global shipping.