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Coast Guard investigates after freighter runs aground in Elizabeth River

Posted at 11:35 PM, Feb 26, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-27 09:46:27-05

Portsmouth, Va. — The Coast Guard is investigating a 590-foot freighter that ran aground Wednesday night in the Elizabeth River near Hospital Point in Portsmouth.

A pilot aboard the Hanze Goteborg, a Netherlands-flagged freighter carrying soybeans, contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 10:30 p.m. reporting the ship was aground with no reported injuries, pollution or damage.

A crew Coast Guard crew aboard a 45-foot response boat arrived on scene at approximately 11:45 p.m. to assess the situation.  Though the waterway was partially obstructed, it remained open to vessel traffic with restrictions.

Around midnight, the Coast Guard requested the tugboats hold the ship in place and wait until 5 a.m. for a higher tide and a more complete assessment of damage.

The boat crew transferred three Coast Guard members to the Hanze Goteborg around 2:45 a.m.

Three tugboats were able to free the Hanze Goteborg around 6:15 a.m. The freighter was escorted by the tugboats to Lambert's Point, where the freighter moored around 7 a.m.

The cause of the grounding is under investigation, and the Coast Guard requested any necessary repairs be completed and the ship's hull be inspected before the ship leaves port.