Montrose Heads for Inspection
The cargo ship Montrose began its trip to safe anchorage in the Chesapeake Bay. Divers will conduct an underwater inspection after its arrival 12 miles south of where it ran aground. The divers will look for any damage under the ship. The 712-foot Liberian flagged ship was carrying 74,215 metric tons of coal when it ran aground Feb. 28 near Sharps Island, Md. Multiple tug boats working together were unable to free the Montrose from being stuck and a Unified Command determined coal needed to be offloaded to re-float the ship. Crews working for the Unified Command met their goal of transferring approximately 7,100 metric tons of coal to a barge alongside at about 10 p.m. Tuesday. Their operations were suspended Monday evening due to inclement weather and resumed Tuesday afternoon.
Operations Underway to Refloat Montrose
Operations are underway in an effort to re-float the 712-ft. Liberian flagged cargo ship Montrose currently aground in the Chesapeake Bay, west of the Choptank River. Crews under the direction of the Unified Command began the process known as lightering Sunday afternoon at approximately 3 p.m. Since then, approximately 4,800 tons of coal have been transferred from the ship to an attached barge. If weather permits, crews on-scene anticipate having the coal of the Montrose transferred to nearby barges. When the coal transfer evolution is complete, a process known as de-ballasting will begin. De-ballasting is the removal of water that was used to keep the ship stable during the lightering process. Attempts to re-float the Montrose are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, weather permitting.
