Ever Forward owner to pay $676K for oyster bar restoration as penalty for grounding in Chesapeake Bay
BALTIMORE - The owner Ever Forward will pay Maryland more than $676,000 to enhance state oyster bars as a penalty for the cargo ship running aground in the Chesapeake Bay last March.
The motion was approved Wednesday at the Maryland Board of Public Works meeting.
The payment goes toward enhancing and reseeding 41 acres of oyster bars to mitigate 624,485 sq. ft of impacts to a Natural Oyster Bar and open water habitat.
The Ever Forward ran aground 24 feet deep into the mud on March 13. It was finally rescued via a 35-day-long salvage operation, according to authorities.
On March 19, an Emergency Wetlands License was issued to free up and refloat the Ever Forward cargo ship.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment, and other state and local responders made two unsuccessful refloat attempts on March 29 and March 30, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
Crews dug out at least 84,000 cubic yards of mud from around the vessel. The Department of the Environment said that's about 27 barges worth of mud.
The U.S. Coast Guard and other coordinators removed 500 containers using crane barges between April 9 and April 16 during daylight hours only, according to authorities.
The ship was freed on the morning of April 17.
The company Evergreen released a statement:
"After the incident of Ever Forward's grounding off the Port of Baltimore, Evergreen has been closely working with concerned authorities in an effort to evaluate and mitigate the impact of the refloating operation on the surrounding area.
"Earlier this week, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved an environmental remediation agreement between the State of Maryland and Evergreen that will establish a fund to provide environmental support to Chesapeake Bay and bolster the health of oyster beds in the area. Contrary to some recent press accounts, the agreement to fund this effort is not due to any sort of fine levied against Evergreen.
"Preservation of the environment is a cornerstone of Evergreen's core values. More information about our Environmental Policy and Commitment can be found at csr.evergreen-marine.com/csr/jsp/CSR_EvergreenEnvironmentalPolicy.jsp."
