The US state of Maryland has ordered Taiwanese liner operator Evergreen Marine Corporation to pay US$676,000 to rectify damage to the oyster beds in Chesapeake Bay, following the grounding of the 12,118 TEU Ever Forward in March 2022.
In a notice following a meeting on 4 January, Maryland Board of Public Works stated that it had approved an offer from Evergreen to pay US$676,200 to the Department of Natural Resources to seed oysters to mitigate 58,000 m² of impacts to the oyster bed.
The Department of Natural Resources’ Shellfish Division has determined the estimated current market cost to complete 165,000 m² of enhancement/seeding of oyster bars is US$588,000, but the Department of the Environment recommended increasing the mitigation payment by 15% to account for a potential cost increase.
On 13 March 2022, the 2020-built Ever Forward left Seagrit Terminal with 4,964 boxes, but ran aground while negotiating Craighill Channel off Baltimore port. Subsequent refloating efforts failed and it took five weeks of dredging and offloading some containers to free the ship.
The US Coast Guard’s investigation concluded in December 2022 that the pilot steering the vessel had not been attentive as he spent an hour making calls on his mobile phone. Maryland Pilots Association has since suspended the pilot’s licence. The coast guard also recommended further disciplinary action for the pilot’s negligence.
Evergreen asserted in a press statement that the amount it is paying is, contrary to other media reports, not any kind of financial penalty.
Evergreen said, “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.”
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
