(PHILADELPHIA) — The U.S. Coast Guard and partners responded to the aground 623-foot motor vessel Algoma Verity approximately a mile north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the Delaware River on Wednesday night.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Algoma Verity is aground outside the main shipping channel. A team from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and the vessel’s representatives are on board monitoring the situation and formulating a plan to safely move the vessel to a nearby terminal.
A safety zone has been established around 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.
At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay watch standers received a report from the pilot aboard Algoma Verity stating the vessel had run aground with no injuries. The vessel was northbound with a cargo of approximately 45,000 tons of solar salt when the incident occurred.
Watch standers issued an urgent marine information broadcast notice to mariners and deployed a Station Philadelphia 29-foot response boat-small crew to the area.
There have been no reports of pollution at this time and the Coast Guard will continue to monitor the vessel for any potential changes.
The cause of the grounding is under investigation.
– U.S. Coast Guard
