M/V Wealthy River; Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina | 1995-May-02

Initial Notification: At 0450 on May 2, 1995, MSO Charleston was notified that the inbound M/V Wealthy River, a 670-foot container vessel, was aground on a sandy/muddy bottom in the entrance to Charleston Harbor between buoys 8 and 14, approximately 600 yards northeast of the jetties. The ship was carrying 796,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil as bunker. Weather on-scene was temperature 68?F, cloudy skies, winds southwest at 20 knots, and seas one to two feet. The vessel was of Panamanian registry, operated by China Ocean Shipping Company. USCG personnel responded on-scene to inspect the ship and monitor attempts to refloat her. The South Carolina representative was contacted but did not respond on-scene. USCG district 7. Keyword: NAVSUPSALV, potential spill.