Ever Forward's hull undamaged after Chesapeake Bay grounding

The operator of a cargo ship that ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay says the Ever Forward's hull wasn’t damaged and there's no fuel leakage

A cargo ship's hull was not damaged when it ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay and there is no fuel leakage, the ship's operator said in an update Thursday, four days after the Ever Forward got stranded as it left the Port of Baltimore.

Evergreen arranged for divers to inspect the ship after Sunday’s accident, and its propeller and rudder are fully functional, the company said in a statement Thursday. It has appointed salvor Donjon Smit to join the rescue operation and experts are assessing the vessel’s grounding condition, the weight of its cargo and the tidal range at the location as they plan to refloat the vessel, the company said. It's not clear how long that will take.

The Ever Forward was headed to Norfolk, Virginia, when it ran aground Sunday night, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The 1,095-foot (334-meter) ship operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine Corp. went aground outside the main navigation corridor, the Craighill Channel, but officials said there were no reports of injuries or pollution.

The Coast Guard has said officials have not yet determined what caused the Ever Forward to run aground. It is not blocking any navigation, unlike its sister vessel, the Ever Given, which got stuck and blocked traffic for days in the Suez Canal nearly a year ago.