WASHINGTON, March 15, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - A massive container ship, owned by the
same company whose vessel last year blocked the Suez Canal, has run aground
near the US port of Baltimore, US officials said Monday.

  The Ever Forward, a 1,096-foot (334-meter) vessel ran aground in the
Chesapeake Bay shortly after leaving a Baltimore port Sunday night, said the
executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, William Doyle, in a
statement.

  "There have been no injuries or spills," Doyle clarified.

  "The ship's grounding is not preventing other ships from transiting to the
Port of Baltimore," he added, noting that efforts had been underway since
Sunday night to free the stranded vessel.

  The accident came almost exactly a year after the 200,000-ton container
ship MV Ever Given became wedged in the Suez Canal during a sandstorm,
blocking the key waterway for six days.

  The Suez Canal is a vital artery from Asia to Europe that carries 10
percent of global maritime trade and provides Egypt with vital revenues.

  Both vessels are owned by the Evergreen Marine Corp., which is based out of
Taiwan.

  The Ever Forward was bound for Norfolk, Virginia, when the accident
happened, US media reported.