Ever Forward: Vessel stuck on Chesapeake Bay for a month

A container ship is reported to be stranded off the coast of Gibson Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Marine Tracker lists the ship as the Ever Forward and that it is aground. It appears there are several tugboats out of Baltimore trying to assist. The company that operates the ship, Evergreen, is the same one that was responsible for the ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal a year ago.

Efforts to free the giant container ship are continuing after the 400m-long vessel became stuck in the Suez canal. Local authorities attempted to dislodge the 220,000 ton vessel from the banks of the canal using tug boats, but the megaship remains stuck more than one day after it ran aground.

The U.S. Coast Guard found the local pilot on the Ever Forward was distracted and the ship’s captain had left eh bridge before the massive cargo ship ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay. News4’s Mark Segraves reports. _______ NBC4 Washington / WRC-TV is the No. 1 broadcast television station and the home of the most-watched local news in Washington, D.C., the country’s seventh largest television market. NBCWashington.com is the market’s most-visited local television station website across all...

OPERATIONAL NOTES AND RECOMMENDATIONS by UKMPA, February 2017
The introduction of modern lightweight Portable Pilot Units (PPU) for use during pilotage has proved to be another major advance for pilotage operations worldwide.

Graham Grant, the Port of Cromarty Firth’s Marine Support Manager, has been appointed to the National Council of the UK Harbour Masters’ Association (UKHMA).

Marine-Pilots.com, online portal and community for maritime pilots worldwide, has launched the new section „Marketplace“. For a test period, usage and advertising is free for registered users.

Fosen Yard AS has built a semi-closed fish farm construction with a diameter of 160m and a depth of 20m.
The second half ring of this construction has left Emden on Friday.

The new 56-ft. Virginia Pilots launch is powered by a pair of Volvo Penta D13 700 hp EPA Tier 3 engines matched with IPS-3 steerable pod drives with forward-facing counter-rotating props. The propulsion system includes Volvo Penta’s EVC electronic steering and control system with a three-axis joystick. Top speed is 33+ knots.

IMPA is conducting a study to gain significant insights into the current and potential use of "remote piloting" on conventional ships as well as those that may be remotely operated or navigated by autonomous software in the future.