Cargo Ship Stuck In Chesapeake Bay Prompts New Cell Phone Policy, Oyster Fine

PASADENA, MD — A cargo ship stuck in the Chesapeake Bay led to a new cell phone policy for nautical pilots. The shipping company must also pay $676,200 to repair a damaged oyster bed.

New Pilot Phone Policy

The Maryland Board of Pilots unanimously voted Jan. 6 to adopt the new cell phone policy. WMAR reported that the policy said pilots "should use a phone to text or email only for navigational, operational, maritime safety, national security, or other professional purposes."

The board last month suspended the license of the pilot navigating the grounded ship, the Associated Press reported. The ship, named the Ever Forward, ran aground near Pasadena and got stuck for over 35 days in early 2022.

The Coast Guard accused the unidentified pilot of using their cell phone for about half of the two-hour voyage from Baltimore. A Coast Guard report said the pilot "placed and received numerous calls, texted messages, and draft emails on their personal cell phone right up until the incident."

Pilots are required to guide and navigate ships in the Chesapeake Bay. The Associated Press said the pilot is not an employee of Evergreen Marine Corp., which operates the Ever Forward.

To learn more about the pilot investigation, read Patch's complete coverage of the license suspension at this link.

Oyster Fine

The Maryland Board of Public Works voted Jan. 4 to issue the oyster fine.

The grounding and dredging affected about 14 acres of the Chesapeake Bay floor, including 11.5 acres in a natural oyster bed. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources also released this report detailing the potential environmental damage.

Evergreen Marine Corp. will pay the Department of Natural Resources to enhance and reseed 41 acres of oyster beds to satisfy the mitigation requirement. The Department of Natural Resources will prioritize Anne Arundel County for the oyster projects because that's where the ship was grounded.

Suzanne E. Dorsey, Maryland's deputy secretary and acting secretary of the environment, thinks this project will help bay health.

"The seeding of oyster bars will contribute to an improved aquatic habitat and provide long term water quality benefits," Dorsey said in a press release. "From the time that the Ever Forward was grounded to the refloating of the vessel to the issuance of this wetlands license and its special conditions, the Maryland Department of the Environment has been on the job to ensure that the Chesapeake Bay and its habitat for oysters and other aquatic life are protected."

The Voyage

The 1,095-foot Ever Forward ran aground on March 13, 2022 while heading from the Port of Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia. The Hong Kong-flagged ship was carrying 4,964 containers.

The Ever Forward was freed on April 17, 2022.

Crews had to dredge, or dig out the seabed, 43 feet to refloat the ship. This pumped out 206,280 cubic yards of material. Workers also removed 505 containers to reduce the ship's weight and buoy the vessel.

Related:

• Ship Pilot Used Cell Phone Before Vessel Got Stuck In Bay: New Report
• Ship Ever Forward Still Stuck In Chesapeake Bay, Crews Revise Strategy
• First Attempt To Free Container Ship Stuck In Bay Set For Tuesday
• Dredging Underway To Free Container Ship Stuck In Chesapeake Bay
• Giant Container Ship Stuck In Chesapeake Bay