Bulk Carrier Carrying 45,000 Tons of Salt Runs Aground in Delaware River

The 623-foot motor vessel Algoma Verity ran aground in the Delaware River approximately one mile north of Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge on Wednesday evening.

The grounding occurred at 6:30 p.m. while the vessel was inbound with approximately 45,000 tons of solar salt. As of Thursday afternoon, AIS data showed the vessel remained aground outside the main shipping channel with its status listed as “not under command”.

“There have been no reports of pollution at this time,” Coast Guard officials said. A team from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay is currently on board with vessel representatives to develop a refloating plan.

Maritime traffic in the area has been restricted, with the Coast Guard establishing a safety zone from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Tioga Marine Terminal. Vessels seeking to transit must contact the Coast Guard Command Center one hour in advance via VHF channel 16 or by calling 215-271-4807.

The Coast Guard’s initial response included deploying a 29-foot response boat from Station Philadelphia and issuing an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to alert nearby vessels.

The cause of the grounding is currently under investigation.

The Bahamas-flagged MV Algoma Verity is a Supramax self-unloading vessel with a deadweight of 50,259 MT that operates along the Americas’ coasts. The ship is owned by Algoma Central Corporation and operated by CSL through the CSL International Pool.

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