Coast Guard monitors disabled cargo ship off Sewells Point in Norfolk, VA

News Release

June 29, 2017 U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic Contact: 5th District Public Affairs Office: (757) 398-6272 After Hours: (757) 434-7712

Coast Guard monitors disabled cargo ship off Sewells Point in Norfolk, VA

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is monitoring a 586-foot Thai-flagged cargo vessel that ran aground off Sewells Point in Norfolk, Virginia, Thursday.

Watchstanders at the Sector Hampton Roads Command Center in Portsmouth received a call at 12:50 p.m. that the bulk cargo ship Mallika Naree lost propulsion in the Elizabeth River, struck buoy #5 and ran soft aground outside the channel.

45-foot Response Boat-Medium and 29-foot Response Boat-Small crews from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth and a boat crew from Aids to Navigation Team Hampton Roads launched at about 1:00 p.m.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, was diverted at 1:20 p.m. to conduct an overflight assessment of the surrounding area.

No signs of pollution were detected. No injuries were reported, and the vessel is not taking on water.

Also on scene were crews from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Norfolk Fire Department.

Commercial tug boats arrived on scene and moved the cargo vessel to a nearby anchorage in the Elizabeth River, where it is safely anchored.

The Mallika Naree is carrying cement and steel.

"The Coast Guard and its partners train every day to respond to events like this," said Coast Guard Cdr. Kenneth Kostecki, chief of prevention, Sector Hampton Roads. "Because of this preparedness, we were able to get on scene quickly and assess the situation, preventing further issues in the port. We will continue to monitor the situation so as to assure the environment and shipping will not be adversely affected."

-USCG-