It’s been a while since we had a good stuck boat story, but the rolling disaster that’s been the first 10 days of 2025 definitely wouldn’t be complete without one. This time around, it’s the Algoma Verity, a Supramax cargo ship sailing from the Bahamas that ran aground after trying to leave port in Philadelphia, WPVI reports.
The Algoma Verity first got stuck in the Delaware River at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening just north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and at least as of the time of writing, it does not appear to have been freed. Clocking in at 623 feet, the Algoma Verity is both pretty dang large but also far from the biggest cargo ship out there. It’s no Capesize carrier, that’s for sure.
The boat is reportedly carrying 45,000 tons of solar salt, which is frequently used as a water softener. The good news is, there aren’t any signs of fuel or salt leaking into the river, but the Coast Guard is keeping an eye on things just in case. “We’re looking for any signs of pollution in and around the vessel which could include the cargo, which happened to be solar salt or diesel fuel,” Lt. Cmd. Patrick Frain told WPVI.
Currently, it’s not clear what the Algoma Verity is stuck on. The Army Corps of Engineers is scanning the bottom hoping to find and remove whatever is in the way. And not just so they can move the stuck boat. All travel along the channel has stopped between the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Tioga marine terminal, a distance of about three miles.
Further complicating matters, the Coast Guard says it’s been dealing with exceptionally low water levels that will make it more difficult to free the Algoma Verity and also more likely that other boats may get stuck, as well.
