The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Savannah is investigating how a 1,091-foot motor vessel ran aground in the Savannah River near Fort Jackson on Tuesday night.
At 6:09 p.m., Coast Guard staff were notified that the Maersk Surabaya vessel, carrying stacks of cargo units through the shipping channel, had moored itself to the bottom of the river.
The Sector Charleston command center watchstanders dispatched a 45-foot Response Boat Medium (RBM) crew from Station Tybee to create a 509-foot safety zone around the motor vessel. Meanwhile, seven tugs repositioned the cargo ship to the center of the channel while port pilots coordinated the temporary closure of the waterway.
According to the Coast Guard, no injuries or pollution was reported and the vessel is now safely moored.
Deepening of the 32-mile shipping channel was completed recently in March, bringing the river to a new depth of 47 feet and, at high tide, 54 feet.
According to data collected by the Fort Pulaski tide gauge, the tide level was at a midpoint of five feet at the time of the vessel's grounding.
Credit: Courtesy of the NOAA
Credit: Courtesy of the NOAA
The $973 million deepening project was part of the Georgia Ports Authority's (GPA) overall effort to increase capacity at the Port of Savannah, which remains one of the nation's busiest container ports.
As the Savannah River is a federal waterway, it is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 1,000 foot vessel runs aground in Savannah River Tuesday night, safety zone established
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