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The Coast Guard is working to free a container ship stuck in the Chesapeake Bay

By Joe Hernandez

Published March 16, 2022 at 5:35 PM EDT

The container ship Ever Forward, which ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast near Pasadena, Md., is pictured on Monday. [Julio Cortez / AP] — The container ship Ever Forward, which ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast near Pasadena, Md., is pictured on Monday.

A 1,095-foot Hong Kong-flagged container ship called Ever Forward remains stuck in the Chesapeake Bay after it ran aground on Sunday, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard, along with the Maryland Department of the Environment, is monitoring the ship and working on a plan to refloat it. How the ship ran aground is currently under investigation.

The vessel left Baltimore on Sunday carrying general cargo and grounded while it was on its way to Norfolk, Va.

"Technical experts boarded the Ever Forward Monday and Tuesday to evaluate ... its condition," William Doyle, executive director of the Port of Baltimore, said in a tweet. "A salvage team, Naval architects and divers are working to determine the best course of action to free the ship."

There have been no reports of injuries, pollution or damage to the ship, the Coast Guard said, and the Ever Forward isn't blocking traffic on the waterway. However, nearby vessels are required to slow down and conduct one-way traffic.

The Coast Guard put in place a 500-yard safety zone around the Ever Forward and issued an order requiring the ship's crew to conduct regular monitoring of the vessel to check for potential pollution and other issues.

Evergreen Marine, the Taiwanese company that operates the Ever Forward, has arranged for divers to inspect the ship for damage and is participating in response efforts, the South China Morning Post reported.

Evergreen Marine did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NPR.

Roughly one year ago, another container ship operated by the same company, the Ever Given, ran aground in the Suez Canal and blocked traffic for six days, stranding hundreds of ships waiting to transit the canal and hampering international maritime shipping.