A massive cargo ship that had been stuck in the Delaware has been freed and is safely docked

A massive cargo ship that became stuck in the Delaware River earlier this week has been freed and is safely docked at the Tioga Marine Terminal in Port Richmond, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“It was refloated on high tide and moved,” said Petty Officer First Class Matthew L. West. “The damages are still being assessed.”

The 623-foot-long Algoma Verity cargo ship hauling salt had been stranded in the Delaware River since 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, when it ran aground about a mile north of the Ben Franklin Bridge, between Penn Treaty Park and Petty’s Island.

» READ MORE: A massive cargo ship is stuck in the Delaware River, the coast guard says

The ship carrying about 45,000 tons of solar salt left port in Philadelphia around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday heading to Fairless Hills, Bucks County. A team from the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay worked with representatives of the Algoma Verity on freeing the vessel.

Since Wednesday night, the Coast Guard, along with private tugboats, sought to dislodge the ship, which has a damaged — and empty — fuel tank alongside four broken ballast tanks, which hold water to keep the vessel stable, the Coast Guard said.

West said the cause of the incident is still under investigation and could be for some time. There were no reports of injury or pollution.

Boats wishing to pass will have to obtain permission an hour in advance and observe a safety zone around the vessel, West said.

“We don’t want any wake to unsettle it,” he said.

Currently flying under the flag of the Bahamas, the Algoma Verity can hold up to 47,404 metric tons of cargo across its 2.1 million cubic feet of storage space, according to an information sheet from Algoma Central Corp., the ship’s owner.

Ships typically run aground when the depth of the water is about equal to the ship’s draft, or the distance between a vessel’s waterline and deepest point. What causes that to happen can vary, though, ranging from bad fuel and mechanical failures to weather conditions.

Strong northwest and west winds have howled through the region since Jan. 1. On Tuesday, a gale-force gust of 39 mph was measured at Philadelphia International Airport. The National Weather Service issued a warning on Thursday that “a strong northwest wind” would result in “low water levels” in the Delaware River, making navigation more difficult.

West said he was not sure how long the ship would have to remain in the terminal.