FISHTOWN (KYW Newsradio) — The U.S. Coast Guard and its local law enforcement partners worked Thursday morning to free a cargo ship that ran aground just north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Delaware River.
The Algoma Verity, which the Coast Guard says has a cargo of approximately 45,000 tons of solar salt, initially sent its report of running aground at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. There were no injuries as a result of the accident.
Tugboats were on the scene Thursday morning, and the Coast Guard said it is developing a plan to move the ship to a nearby port.
In the meantime, a safety zone has been established around the Algoma Verity, restricting vessel traffic from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Tioga Marine Terminal.
Vessels wishing to transit the area will need to contact the Coast Guard Command Center one hour prior to transit by radio on VHF channel 16 or by calling the command center hotline at 215-271-4807.
There have been no reports of pollution at this time and the Coast Guard said it will continue to monitor the vessel for any potential changes.
The cause of the grounding is also still under investigation.