Apparently, you sickos love a good stuck cargo ship story. And as the saying goes, if y’all keep on clickin’, the ships’ll keep on stickin’. OK, that’s not actually a saying, but we do have another stuck cargo ship post for you, and this time, it’s in England. Cambridgeshire, to be exact. The BBC reports that yesterday, the Baltic Arrow got stuck in the River Nene near Wisbech.
The Baltic Arrow was reportedly carrying timber from Latvia to the Port of Wisbech when it got stuck due to the tide going out. In true Keep Calm and Carry On fashion, instead of trying to dig it out, authorities just left the ship where it was and crossed their fingers that it would free itself when the next high tide came.
Six crew members and two pilots were reportedly stuck on board waiting for their fate to be determined, but the good news is, no injuries were reported on board the 262-foot boat.
Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Port of Wisbech said, “Since tide has fallen away, plan is to wait until vessel is afloat at next high water to free her from banks with additional tug assistance and continue her pilotage safely into Wisbech Port. This is a rare situation to happen at Wisbech. We hope to have vessel freed this evening and bring her alongside for discharging as usual.”
And wouldn’t you know it, the Wisbech Standard reports the Baltic Arrow is now free. If you were hoping for a weeks long saga of a stuck ship interrupting international trade, we’re sorry to disappoint. The crew, on the other hand, is probably very excited not to be stuck on a boat in England, waiting to be rescued so they can return home.
As the Port of Wisbech’s spokesperson told the Standard, “Yesterday evening the Harbour Authority maneuvered the Baltic Arrow with the assistance of the Fenlander and a tug that was drafted in from Kings Lynn. At high water, they were able to align the ship along the river so that she could safely proceed to Wisbech Port where she is currently moored.”