A huge container ship, owned by the same company as the ship that blocked the Suez Canal last year, ran aground near the port of Baltimore in the United States, US officials said Monday.
The Ever Forward, a 334-meter-long ship ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay just after leaving a Baltimore port on Sunday night, Maryland Port Administration Executive Director William Doyle said in a statement.
“There have been no injuries or spills,” Doyle said.
“The street of the ship does not prevent other ships from transiting to the port of Baltimore,” he added, noting that since Sunday night attempts have been made to free the stranded ship.
The accident came almost exactly one year after the 200,000-ton container ship MV Ever Given was trapped in the Suez Canal in the middle of a sandstorm, blocking the important navigation passage for six days.
The Suez Canal is a key artery that runs from Asia to Europe and carries 10% of world maritime trade, as well as providing Egypt with vital income.
Both vessels are owned by Evergreen Marine Corp., a Taiwan-based company.
The Ever Forward was on its way to Norfolk, Virginia, when the accident occurred, according to US media.
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