Evergreen Declares General Average Following Containership Ever Forward Grounding

[Sherman A1]

Evergreen Marine, the owner of a containership stuck aground in the Chesapeake Bay, has declared general average after two failed attempts to refloat the vessel.

The Ever Forward has been stuck near the Port of Baltimore since March 13 despite the efforts of dredgers and salvors who have been working for more than a week to dig out and refloat the 1,095-foot vessel. Separate attempts to refloat the ship on Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful, meaning costlier and more complex salvage efforts will be required, Evergreen said.

"In light of the increasing costs arising from the continued attempts to refloat the vessel, Evergreen declared general average," the Taiwanese shipping company said in a statement on Thursday. "The complexity of further rescue operations will require more manpower, equipment and costs to refloat the stranded vessel as soon as possible."

General average is principle of maritime law requiring cargo owners to share with the shipowner or charterer the costs associated with rescuing a vessel in a casualty event.

https://www.marinelink.com/news/evergreen-declares-general-average-495468

[ruet]

1. Yup, Those are Words.

That headline is wild.

[lagomorph777]

3. OP is not required to include the original headline in General Discussion.

The obscure nautical terminology certainly is mystifying, even after reading the definition.

[Sherman A1]

4. It seemed pretty simple to me once I read the definition in the last paragraph

Those transporting cargo on the ship, get to help pay for it getting unstuck.

[lagomorph777]

6. Yeah, that's what I mean. Bizarre. And given Evergreen's record lately, who would ship with them?

FYI, the confusing headline probably causes most folks to walk on by.

[ruet]

8. Evergreen Declares "General Average" Following Container Ship Grounding. -NT-

[Totally Tunsie]

10. LOL - That's what got me to click on it!

Otherwise, couldn't figure out what it meant.

And, once again, I learn something new on DU...General Average.

[lagomorph777]

11. I confess - same here.

[lagomorph777]

2. Aren't they the same idiots who blocked the Suez Canal?

Evergreen will come after you financially, if they ground a ship that happens to be carrying your cargo.

Good to know.

[Sherman A1]

5. As I recall, You are correct

I suspect that folks using their services will likely think twice before doing so in the future.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. I don't know if they were idiots or not, but GA had been...

Maritime law since the Phoenicians. It all started when owners of heavy stuff, like stone statues, asked why their stuff was thrown overboard first in bad weather. It was only natural that everone share the cost.

[Zeitghost]

17. But was it Evergreen who grounded the ships?

It's generally required to let local pilots guide large ships through ports and canals.

[panader0]

9. Why can't they unload some of the cargo onto other ships?

Lighten the load.
It wasn't the cargo owners that grounded the ship, it was the Evergreen captain. Why should
the owners have to pay?

[Gore1FL]

13. The trick is getting a second ship to offload the containers as well as a crane big enough to do it.

I know very little about container shipping; To be honest, I am not sure if a floating crane is a thing. I suspect, though, what they are doing is probably cheaper, even if it takes longer.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. It wasn't the Evergreen Captain either . . . .

. . . . it was a marine pilot,

Ships hire pilots to navigate when a ship is in close quarters. This ship had just left the terminal and was not yet even to the main Chesapeake Bay shipping channel. They took a wrong turn, got somehow out of the harbor channel and ran aground.

It seems to me the most immediately responsible party is the marine pilot.

[panader0]

15. You're right, just like the Egyptian pilot who got an Evergreen ship stuck in the Suez canal.

Still, the pilot was hired by Evergreen, not the cargo owners. If I was one of the cargo owners,
I'd be plenty pissed off. They've probably already lost a bundle because of the delay.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. I agree. I am not sure where this goes next.

Ship owners use pilots for several reasons. They use them to navigate when local knowledge is critical. Narrow channels, strong currents, shoals, etc. They also use them as a way to shield themselves (to some degree) from liability.

In this case, there are now some added liabilities from local fisheries. Mainly crab and oyster fishermen. Lawsuits are written already, waiting for the outcome to know where to aim them. The salvors are trying to reflect the ship by dredging. That is a terrible disruption of the Bay floor with serious impact to oyster beds and crab habitat.

I am feeling less urgency to this grounding than to the one in the Suez Canal because this is a grounded ship, not a blocked shipping channel critical to, literally, the world's commerce.

Back to where this goes . . . . . it seems to me the pilot company and ship owners bear the biggest financial responsibility. I should think the pilot company, and the pilot himself, has to have a shipload (pun intended) of insurance. Evergreen is a big company so I would also think they have insurance as does their captain. All other parties to the grounding will only have claims against that insurance and no financial responsibility!

I am speculating, but the least responsible party is the ship captain since he (legally) relinquishes control of this ship's navigation to the pilot. The pilot has the most direct responsibility but likely no personal deep pockets. His biggest liability is losing his job. Look up how much marine pilots make. It is surprisingly little, particularly when weighed against the responsibility they assume.

[TheBlackAdder]

12. So it's like the dufus who wrecks his Mustang doing a burnout and then makes passengers split costs?