Ship from same firm that blocked Suez Canal runs aground in US

[WASHINGTON] 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 334-metre 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 per cent 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. AFP