Credit: Petty Officer 2nd Class Crystalynn A. Kneen/U.S. Coast Guard
A cargo ship headed to the international port in Falls Township ran aground in the Delaware River just north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Thursday morning.
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The motor vessel Algoma Verity, a 623-foot cargo ship, became stuck Wednesday evening about a mile north of the bridge, according to a statement from the Coast Guard.
The vessel was aground outside the main shipping channel and was posing no obstruction to the primary maritime route as of Thursday morning.
Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and representatives from the vessel are on site to look at the situation and devising a plan to relocate the Algoma Verity safely to a nearby terminal, officials said.
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The cause of the grounding is currently under investigation by the Coast Guard.
In response to the grounding, the Coast Guard have established a safety zone extending from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to the Tioga Marine Terminal. Vessels needing to pass through the area are required to contact the Coast Guard Command Center at 215-271-4807 one hour in advance.
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The incident was first reported by the pilot aboard the Algoma Verity at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Coast Guard said the report was that the ship had run aground while carrying about 45,000 tons of solar salt.
There were no injuries reported in the incident.
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Following the report, Coast Guard watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and dispatched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Philadelphia to the scene.
As of Thursday morning, there have been no pollution issues related to the incident.
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