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General average declared as Ever Forward remains stuck in Chesapeake Bay

Taiwanese liner Evergreen Marine has declared general average for cargo owners on its 12,000 teu Ever Forward following a second failed attempt to refloat the stranded containership.

Following the dredging operation, which began on March 20, two efforts to refloat the vessel in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland proved unsuccessful after tugs failed to dislodge it on March 29 and 30.

Evergreen said the move to declare general average came in light of the increasing costs arising from the continued attempts to refloat the 334 m long vessel. General average means all parties involved with the cargo will have to share in the cost of the salvage operations. Evergreen declared similar a year ago with the Ever Given grounding incident in the Suez Canal.

“Considering that the complexity of further rescue operations will require more manpower, equipment and costs to refloat the stranded vessel as soon as possible, Evergreen has for cautionary purposes declared general average and nominated Richards Hogg Lindley as the GA adjuster,” the company said in a statement.

The Hong Kong-flagged Ever Forward grounded in the bay after it departed from the Seagirt container terminal in the port of Baltimore on March 13. Further attempts to refloat the vessel are not expected until April 3 or 4, cargo claims specialist WK Webster noted.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.

Comments

    1. It comes under the York Antwerp rule and means that when a extraordinary expenditure or sacrifice takes makes provided it is reasonable and Intentional for the common safety of the property against the peril in the common maritime adventure

    2. It means that the owners of the cargo on the have to chip in for paying the company’s that are getting it afloat again.

  1. Would be nice if article about grounding of Ever Forward and the declaring of “General Average” – would be nice if “General Average” meaning was explained. Very bad reporting!

    1. In third paragraph: “General average means all parties involved with the cargo will have to share in the cost of the salvage operations”

    2. General average means all parties involved with the cargo will have to share in the cost of the salvage operations, per the article

  2. I agree. I’ve been to Downs park and seen the never forward from shore. Rumour has it that the captain left without the channel guide because he didn’t want to wait for him? What kind of compensation does Maryland get for inept personnel on the ship? And what the he’ll is “general average” anyway? By the way you can see the channel markers from shore. It’s clear no one was watching them?

    1. I was wondering if these captains were inept. I haven’t heard of other ships getting stuck in Chesapeake Bay. There was a description of Gen.Avg. in the article.

      1. The Craig Hill channel is very well-marked. It makes no sense to me why an unlimited Ocean Master we go outside the channel. This is something I would expect a recreational boat operator to do in a shallow area.

    2. Why should the people who paid to have their goods shipped on this have to share in the costs for th e shipping lines irresponsible,incompetent captain

    3. Foreign Flag ships like this one are required by law to have a state pilot on board. If the captain left without the pilot on the bridge, the captain is going to spend a long time in prison.

  3. I just learned what “general average” means? It means the company that owns the boat takes no responsibility for the actions of the crew they have on their payroll and transfers damages to the shippers among others. If evergreen hired competent people we wouldn’t see these ships stuck like we have twice in a year! Evergreen should be 110% responsible since they hired the apparently useless captain and crew that were sailing her!

    1. Since the captain and or the ‘navigator’ had not done their job properly, I feel Gen. Avg. should not apply.

    2. In both of these instances a pilot with local knowledge should have been on the bridge and in effective control of the vessel. It has little to do with the competance of the ship’s crew.
      The biggest Factor by far is the fact that they are building these super ships too big for the harbors and Canals that they want them to Transit.

      1. So the Captain decided to leave without the pilot, and yet you say it has nothing to do with the competence of the crew? Is he not the leader of the crew making the decisions? You fault the ship, not the operator? Buffoon.

  4. General Average means all parties involved with the cargo (shipper, cargo owner) will have to share in the cost of the salvage operations. The cargo owner will contact the freight underwriter for their portion of compensation. The shipping company (Evergreen) will file a claim with Lloyds, who is their insurer.

  5. Obviously the author had no idea of the definition of General Average and no time to google it!

  6. General Average should not apply when the captain of a loaded cargo ship somehow finds his way into 25 ft of water. That is ineptitude at its finest. Shipping channels are there for a reason, they are at a minimum dredged to 50ft for a reason. The whole situation is mind boggling.

    1. I don’t know the specifics of the accident, but the Chesapeake is shallow and due to dredging costs lacks a wide channel. The Bay has tricky tides and winds, and most or all the big freighters take locally-licensed pilots aboard to guide the ship into Baltimore harbor.

  7. Why don’t they get a barge and a crane next to it and start unloading it to get the weight off it or transfer all the fuel out of the vessel to lighten her and re float

  8. A new casino for Maryland on the bay. More revenue to dump on the thugs in PG County and Baltimore.

  9. Before the ships Capt gets all of the blame, where was the Maryland pilot who is responsible for the navigation of the ships that enter and leave the Chesapeake bay?

  10. Curious why all parties involved with the cargo have to pay up for the poor decisions of the captain. Shouldn’t Evergreen be solely responsible for their captains decisions. If I got my truck stuck hauling a load of cargo, I would be the only one paying the bill, not my client.
    Plus, is it a coincidence that this happened about a year ago with the Ever Given? Seems like Evergreen needs to hire better captains for their cargo ships.

  11. How about the required Harbor Pilot, with the Captain we’re in charge. My opinion the Harbor Pilot was really in command. Haven’t heard about that part of the investigation. Too bad for all !

  12. Remember Ever Given that bunged up the suez canal for days? Wonder if these guys are with the same company…if so someone needs a refresher course on operating a cargo ship…..

  13. My question is how can they declare general average to share the costs with the cargo owners when it is obvious that Evergreen was completely negligent. If it was an act of god , I could see them declaring it but not with them being the cause of this whole situation.

  14. Why don’t they just redistribute the cargo and put it on other ships/ or barges? It seems that would have been cheaper to start off. Plus, now no ships are allowed to pass this “over-loaded” ship. Last week, other ships were allowed in the Channel. (Obviously the Evergreen wasn’t even 8n the Channel.)

  15. The pilots are NEVER in command they serve as an advisor to the captain who is always in command of their vessel. If he left the bridge one of his officers would assume command not the pilot.

    The fault is solely the captain whether he was at the helm or not.

  16. cheap labour isn’t experienced
    experienced labour isn’t cheap
    you get what you pay for

  17. I have an Amazon package on the Ever Stuck. How much is my portion of the GA charges?

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