Giant cargo ship runs aground in Columbia River

COLUMBIA CITY, Ore. (KOIN) — A cargo ship carrying a load of cars ran aground in the Columbia River, forcing emergency crews to respond.

Tug boats worked throughout the night to get the 550-foot long Viking Emerald out of the muck and sand. The ship, 90-feet wide, lost steering and ran aground around 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said the Viking Emerald has been towed to Portland.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Norcross said Sunday that Foss Maritime tugboats got the Viking Emerald off the beach and towed it to Portland’s Terminal 6 sometime Saturday night.

Despite being stuck in the shallow water, there appears to be no damage.

“There has currently been no report of any injuries, pollution or damage to the vessel,” Norcross said Saturday night.

Coast Guard vessels were not assisting but Foss tug boats were on scene. Around 7:30 p.m. they made some progress on getting the bow of the ship out of the muck and turned toward the deeper portion of the river.

‘I’m not sure what their original destination is supposed to be but since this has happened, they are planning on pulling into Longview,” Norcross said.

The ship left Tacoma on its way to Portland when it ran aground north of Columbia City.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.