Cargo Ship Stranded on Sandbank in River Severn Estuary, UK

The cargo ship "EEMS SERVANT" got stuck on a sandbank in the estuary of the River Severn. A subsequent attempt to tow the vessel failed, and the ship is expected to remain stuck for the next several days. There have been no known reports of any injuries aboard the vessel so far.

The EEMS SERVANT is a 2,153-ton vessel that is 99m long and 11m wide. The ship ran aground on the sands as it made a turn when approaching the Sharpness docks on Monday, March 4th.

David Palmer, the general manager of SARA Sharpness, stated that it was rare for a vessel to get stuck in the location. He further explained that high floodwater levels coming from the river Severn can cause the sandbanks to shift into the navigation channel. In this case, the sandbanks shifted quite a bit in a short amount of time, which resulted in the ship getting caught in the shifted bank and getting stuck.

A tugboat from Portishead approached the beached vessel the next day, but the attempt to free-tow the vessel failed due to the low tide. Palmer said the tide would not reach the required level for a few days. So, the tug will have to wait a few days before another rescue of the vessel can be attempted. There is also the possibility of the vessel naturally refloating by itself if the tide gets high enough.

EEMS SERVANT is in stable condition, and the crew is in constant contact with the regulatory authorities. The ship has sufficient supplies for the crew onboard, which is why the crew has not requested evacuation so far.

The Gloucester Harbour Trustees and Canal & River Trust have stated in a joint statement that there are no current concerns regarding the crew's safety aboard the vessel or any hazards regarding the possibility of pollution from the ship