Cost Guard continues efforts to free massive container ship run aground in Chesapeake Bay

The Coast Guard is continuing its efforts to refloat a massive container ship that has been run aground for more than two weeks now.

The Ever Forward has been stuck in the mud of the Chesapeake Bay while authorities attempt to get the boat back into action, according to NPR.

Coast Guard Captain Dave O'Connell shared with NPR that no one was injured on the ship after it wedged itself in the mud.

The Ever Forward got stuck after it missed a turn coming out of the Port of Baltimore on March 13. Once it missed its intended direction, the ship found itself out of the deep shipping channel.

O'Connell shared that while having the ship stuck is less than ideal, it could have been a lot worse.

"There was no pollution, and there was limited effect on commerce in terms of vessels being able to get around her," the captain said to NPR.

According to a report from NPR, the Ever Forward is a sister ship to the vessel the Ever Given that ran aground in the Suez Canal last year.

The Ever Forward measures in at 1,100 feet and is loaded with shipping containers weighing a total of 130,000 tons, O'Connell shared.

In order for the ship to sail properly, the captain said it needs roughly 42 feet of water, and right now, it is stuck in water with depths of 24 feet.

"It's buried about 15 feet or so into the mud," O'Connell said. "So that's a lot."

Crews are continuing to dig around the ship in an effort to free it up. They are also siphoning fuel to reduce its weight, but the trick is keeping the boat upright and balanced, NPR reported.

"Containers are stacked five, six stories high," O'Connell said. "You know, you slide containers off of it - that would be a bad situation."

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