Containership Briefly Grounds Blocking Port of Mobile
The Alabama Port Authority is reporting that the containership Ruby Tower (127,952 dwt) has been refloated and is no longer blocking the Mobile shipping channel. The ship, however, is holding in Mobile Bay with tugs assisting the ship and the U.S. Coast Guard standing by.
The vessel, which is owned by UK-based Zodiac Marine, operates under charter to Ocean Network Express (ONE) and is shared with Yang Ming. It departed Mobile late morning on January 26, bound for Mexico. It got away from the APM Terminal at approximately 1100 local time with two pilots aboard.
The port authority says the ship reported a loss of steering power while it was near the eastern end of the channel. It grounded north of Gaillard Island, and traffic in the shipping channel was ordered suspended. By approximately 1600, the vessel was reported refloated and moving with an escort of three tugs. The Coast Guard was on hand to inspect the ship.
Built in 2013, the ship is 300 meters (984 feet) in length with a capacity for approximately 9,000 TEU. It is registered in Liberia.
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The incident comes just months after the Port of Mobile hailed the completion of its dredging project, giving the port the capability to handle 50-foot drafts. The Alabama Port Authority called it a transformational milestone for the Port of Mobile, noting that it would have the deepest draft capabilities of any of the regional ports.
The authority reported that the $366 million Mobile Harbor Modernization Project, was a state–federal partnership and made the port the deepest container port in the Gulf of America (Mexico). The port would be capable of handling super-post-Panamax vessels. APM Terminals Mobile was expecting the ocean lines to begin upsizing ships.