Cargo ship hauling table salt refloated after getting stuck along Delaware River in Philadelphia
A cargo ship carrying table salt was finally dislodged after getting stuck along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard said the Algoma Verity, which is sailing under the flag of the Bahamas, was refloated around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, and safely moved to the nearby Tioga Marine Terminal.
The ship was heading north up the river when it got stuck about a mile past the Benjamin Franklin Bridge near Fishtown sometime before 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.
No injuries were reported in connection with the ship's grounding. The Coast Guard said Saturday that agency personnel, representatives from the ship's owners and contracted salvage personnel are still onboard to ensure safety of the crew, ship and river.
"The on-scene personnel demonstrated exceptional initiative in a very dynamic environment," said Capt. Kate Higgins-Bloom, captain of the port and commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. "The vessel is now well out of the channel, but we still have work to do to get the Algoma Verity safely out of the port. We are thankful for the flexibility of all our port partners as we work to protect public safety, the marine environment, and commerce."
Records on Marinetraffic.com say the ship is a roughly 190-meter long, 32-meter wide bulk carrier, and it was headed to Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
An info sheet from Algoma Central Corporation said the Verity can hold 47,404 metric tons of cargo in its over 2.1 million cubic feet of storage space. It was carrying about 45,000 tons of solar salt at the time it ran aground, the Coast Guard said.
The vessel will be evaluated for damage, though it wasn't immediately clear what caused the ship to become stuck.
A new safety zone is in effect around the Algoma Verity which restricts marine traffic from 100 yards upriver and 100 yards downriver of the Tioga Marine Terminal, which is located about two miles north of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Vessels that need to enter the safety zone must obtain permission from the captain of the port or a designated representative, the Coast Guard said.
The National Weather Service released a statement Thursday morning warning of a strong northwest wind that could reduce water levels on the river, with levels as much as 2-3 feet lower at low tide. The low water level may cause navigation provlems, NWS said.
Tide and current trackers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed multiple tidal stations in Philadelphia along the Delaware River were in "low water condition," meaning low tides were measured to be lower than normal.
