A cargo ship is stuck in the Delaware River near Fishtown. (Photo courtesy Fox 29)
A cargo ship that is travelling through Philadelphia from the Bahamas ran aground in the middle of the Delaware River Wednesday night.
The ship, which is carrying a massive load of 45,000 pounds of solar salt, got stuck near Fishtown, north of the Ben Franklin Bridge at approximately 6:30 PM on Wednesday.
The Coast Guard has responded and is on board the ship working with the crew to figure out a way to tug the ship safely to a nearby terminal.
[Delayed Report] On Jan 8, at 7:00 PM EST, 1 NE Ben Franklin Bridg [Philadelphia Co, PA] Emergency Mngr reports Misc Mrn/Srf Hzd. A cargo ship ran aground on the tidal Delaware River due to low water around 7 PM near Fishtown about 1 mile north... #pawx https://t.co/BWpekCitge pic.twitter.com/zCZra7YBjg
The Algoma Verity is a 623-foot long Supramax, which is designed to carry massive loads and has the technology to self-unload.
According to Vessel Finder, the 25-year-old ship made a brief port stop in Philadelphia on Wednesday and left port at about 5:30 with the intent of reaching the Fairless Hills port in Bucks County approximately an hour later. It ran aground en route.
There have been no reports of spillage from the ship that could potentially pollute the river, nor have there been any reports of injuries.
Maritime traffic has been restricted while the ship is tugged to safety. No vessels are permitted to pass from the Tioga Marine Terminal in the Northeast to the Ben Franklin Bridge and vice versa without permission from the Coast Guard Command Center.
