Maryland to Plant 41 Acres with Juvenile Oysters in Anne Arundel County with Mitigation Funds from 2022 Ever Forward Ship Grounding

Photo courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will plant about 147 million oyster spat, or juvenile oysters, on 41 acres in Anne Arundel County waters with mitigation funds from the 2022 grounding of M/V Ever Forward on an upper Chesapeake Bay oyster bar.

On March 13, 2022, the 1,095-foot Ever Forward container ship ran aground inside Natural Oyster Bar 4-2. The bow of the ship, which draws 40 feet of water, became stuck at a depth of 18 feet. The Ever Forward was refloated on April 17, 2022, after a month of intensive dredging and multiple extraction attempts.

Continue reading on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources website…

A Behemoth of a Boat Reminds Baltimore How it Came to Be

Published August 22, 2023, Baltimore Brew

The weekend layover of the Evergreen Line’s Ever Max, the biggest container ship ever to dock on Maryland shores, brought to mind why Baltimore is Baltimore and why its harbor is more than a recreational playground for paddle boats and cabin cruisers.

Founded in 1729, the city remains a hub of global trade thanks to 11.1 square miles of mostly deep water that lie within its boundaries.

For most residents, it’s an unknown or underappreciated fact that the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore handled a record $74.3 billion in foreign cargo last year.

Other high-water marks were established in 2022 for roll-on/roll-off (“Ro-Ro”) farm and construction equipment, general cargo and forest products despite worldwide supply chain issues and a slowdown in China trade.

“The port ranks 11th among major U.S. ports for foreign cargo handled and ninth for total foreign cargo value,” notes Richard Scher, spokesman for the Maryland Port Administration.

Expanding business was one reason why Ever Max made its appearance on Saturday to swap out containers at the sprawling Seagirt Marine Terminal on Broening Highway.

Continue Reading Here from The Baltimore Brew

Navy Chooses Baltimore for Commissioning Newest Ship

Published June 9th from The Baltimore Banner

The USS Carl Levin, a guided missile destroyer and the Navy's newest ship, will be commissioned at Baltimore Harbor on June 24. (Courtesy of the US Navy) Source: The Baltimore Banner

The Navy’s newest warship, the guided missile destroyer USS Carl Levin, will be commissioned in Baltimore on June 24. Although it isn’t among cities with a Navy installation, the Navy chose Baltimore for the ceremony to commission its newest ship, demonstrating it still sees Baltimore as a Navy town.

The city has a rich maritime tradition that was rooted centuries ago. The Navy’s first ship, the USS Constellation, launched in Baltimore in 1797. Baltimore has always been considered one of the great shipbuilding cities — the birthplace of the famous clipper ships, for example. In fact, in the 1790s, Baltimore led the nation in shipbuilding. During World War II, the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard built 384 Liberty ships, 94 Victory ships and 45 amphibious landing ships.

Read more from the Baltimore Banner here…