BALTIMORE — Cargo ship "Ever Forward" has now been stuck in the Chesapeake Bay for a month.
In an effort to get the ship moving again, crews are offloading the cargo and heavy weight.
WMAR-2 News Don Harrison was up close with the ship as cranes are being used to remove cargo containers to raise the ship.
MORE: Crews to remove shipping containers from the Ever Forward in order to get it floating again
Ever Forward is in 24 feet of water off the channel.
Captain Bize said she has been navigating these water practically her whole life.
“Never really seen anything like this before. It's definitely a sight to see,” said Captain Kaitlyn Bize, an instructor at the Annapolis School of Seamanship.
MORE: On Tuesday, officials will try to get the grounded Ever Forward ship back afloat
There have been no reports of any injuries, damage to the vessel or any leakage causing environmental problems.
The Coast Guard has not identified the cause for the grounding yet. It was leaving the port heading out to sea when it got stuck. “A Chesapeake Bay pilot hops on at the time when it leaves the port until it gets outside the Chesapeake Bay,” Captain Bize said. “He is kind of like the navigational aid on board while the master of the vessel is on board steering the boat.”
Cargo ship remains stuck in the Chesapeake Bay
RELATED: Ever Forward's hull undamaged after Chesapeake Bay grounding
Crews will remove 500 of the almost 5000 containers off the ship.
The Coast Guard said it hopes to try again to free the ship at the beginning of next week.
There is a full moon this weekend giving the bay it's highest tides in a month to help in this difficult operation of removing cargo containers.
“These men are repelling down onto them to latch up the bracket and then repelling down off of them,” Captain Bize said. “So then the crane lift this suspended container, shifting them onto the barge and then shipping them back into Baltimore Harbor.”
“Yeah, It's definitely been a sight to see and it will be good once it's refloated.”
