Incident replayChesapeake Bay near Craighill Channel, MarylandSources checked 6 Sept 2026

Ever Forward: 35 days aground in Chesapeake Bay

Ever Forward ran aground outside Chesapeake Bay's main shipping channel on 13 March 2022. Failed pulling attempts led to dredging and container removal before the ship was freed on 17 April.[1][2]

Follow the timeline What happened afterwardOriginal sources (3)

Last documented outcome

As of 6 Dec 2022

Refloated; investigation completed

The ship was freed after 35 days. The Coast Guard's December investigation identified failures in the pilot's attention and situational awareness, together with inadequate bridge resource management.[2][3]

The sequence of events

5 dated reports · 13 Mar 2022 to 6 Dec 2022
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Ship grounds outside the main channel

Ever Forward grounded at about 9 p.m. off Gibson Island. NOAA was notified on 15 March and reported the ship stranded outside the main channel, with no damage, injuries or pollution reported at that time.

NOAA approximate grounding area

Reported points only. No inferred track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.

Milestone 1 of 5: 13 Mar 2022. Ship grounds outside the main channel. NOAA approximate grounding area

  1. Ship grounds outside the main channel

    Ever Forward grounded at about 9 p.m. off Gibson Island. NOAA was notified on 15 March and reported the ship stranded outside the main channel, with no damage, injuries or pollution reported at that time.

    NOAA approximate grounding area (39.070°, -76.410°)

    NOAA IncidentNews

  2. Two refloat attempts have failed

    After attempts on 29 and 30 March, salvors concluded they could not free the vessel while it remained fully loaded.

    U.S. Coast Guard

  3. Container removal begins

    Crane barges began unloading containers to reduce the ship's weight. The operation continued through 16 April, with work balanced between both sides of the vessel.

    U.S. Coast Guard

  4. Ever Forward is freed

    Pulling barges and tugs freed the ship at about 7 a.m. The salvage operation combined cargo removal with extensive dredging.

    U.S. Coast Guard

  5. Coast Guard publishes causal findings

    The investigation identified loss of situational awareness and attention by the pilot, plus inadequate bridge resource management. Recommendations addressed electronic-device use and watch officers' duties even with a pilot aboard.

    U.S. Coast Guard

Details in the record

Time aground
35 days[2]
Cargo at grounding
4,964 containers[3]
Initial reported condition
No injuries, damage or pollution reported to NOAA[1]

Reading this account

Only the approximate grounding area is mapped. Refloating is established by the Coast Guard's report, rather than inferred from an expired warning. The timeline does not reconstruct the ship's later voyages.

A warning being cancelled does not establish that a vessel was recovered or a hazard disappeared. The outcome above comes from the cited follow-up reports.

Original sources

Account checked 6 Sept 2026. Follow-up is reviewed from these sources; this is not a live incident feed.

  1. 1.Containership grounded off Gibson Island in Chesapeake Bay ↗NOAA IncidentNews
  2. 2.Container ship refloated following 35-day salvage operation ↗U.S. Coast Guard · 17 Apr 2022
  3. 3.Investigation into Ever Forward grounding completed ↗U.S. Coast Guard · 6 Dec 2022

Related records in our archive

Original source text, preserved separately from this account.

NOAAORR-10428 NOAA response record
Containership Grounded off Gibson Island in Chesapeake Bay.
Gibson Island, MD, USA.
1. On 15 March 2022, USCG Sector Maryland NCR notified the NOAA SSC that at approximately 9:00pm on Sunday, 13 March the Ever Forward, a containership grounded off of Gibson Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The vessel has remained stranded since then. The ship is outside the main shipping channel. There is no damage, injuries or pollution at this time.
2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: OIL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 800000 GALLONS.
3. POSITION 39.070N 076.410W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 10428: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/10428
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