The U.S. Coast Guard announced today that the agency is continuing to respond to the grounded 623’ bulk carrier Algoma Verity, approximately a mile north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the Delaware River.
As of 8 a.m., Friday, the M/V Algoma Verity is still aground outside the main shipping channel. A team from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, salvors, and the vessel’s representatives are continuing to monitor the situation and are formulating a plan to safely move the vessel, the Coast Guard said in a statement released at 2:15 pm Friday.
Marine inspectors have identified four of the vessel’s ballast tanks and one empty fuel tank has been damaged by the incident, the statement said. There have been no reports of pollution, and the Coast Guard will continue to monitor the vessel for any potential changes.
“There are many different factors when it comes to moving a vessel as large as the Algoma Verity after a grounding and we want to ensure it is done safely,” said Cmdr. Lee Gorlin, the incident commander at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. “It is too early to have a timeline, but our responders will continue to work closely with our partners to complete the mission.”
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) 271-4970.
The Coast Guard noted the cause of the grounding is under investigation.
