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East Coast Ports Rushed to Attract Mega Ships. Now, One Is Stuck Outside D.C.

  • Supply-chain crisis led some carriers to avoid U.S. West Coast
  • 2016 expansion of Panama Canal boosted East Coast’s capacity
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WATCH: The U.S. Coast Guard is dredging a cargo ship that’s been stranded in the Chesapeake Bay for more than a week.Source: Bloomberg

The $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal doubled its capacity in 2016, allowing the world’s largest cargo ships to sail more easily to America’s East Coast from Asia. Now, one of those giant vessels has been stuck near the U.S. capital for more than a week. 

Evergreen Marine Corp.’s ship Ever Forward ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay after departing the Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal on March 13 and hasn’t moved since, according to mapping data compiled by Bloomberg.