Salvage Crews Offloading Containers From Ship Stuck in Chesapeake Bay

After two weeks of dredging and two failed attempts to pull the ship out of the mud, the plan now is to lighten the load, but offloading in open waters is risky. “I think you gotta weigh that against the potential of leaving the ship grounded for an extended period of time,” said Campbell University maritime historian Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. “The longer she sits on the bottom, the more likely damage to the hull will happen. I mean, it’s just a matter of time.”
“They’re going to start removing containers off the vessel, but they’re going to keep dredging,” he said. “And what they need to do is get that vessel lighter.”