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Grain Freighter Runs Aground on Columbia by Allan Brettman The Oregonian, December 15, 2017

A cargo ship that ran aground Thursday night on the Columbia River was being towed Friday morning to Longview, Washington for repairs, the Coast Guard said.

There were no signs of pollution although two forward compartments were taking on water after it ran aground, the Coast Guard said in a news release. Crew members were able to get the flooding under control.

The 656-foot Liberian-flagged KM London ran aground on the north side of the navigational channel near Crims Island at river mile marker 54.5, the Coast Guard said. The freighter, headed out to the Pacific Ocean, is carrying wheat, and there are no signs of pollution.

The Columbia River pilot aboard the vessel notified the Coast Guard of the grounding at 8:10 p.m. Thursday.

Coast Guard pollution responders and marine inspectors arrived on scene early Friday morning. A Columbia River pilot conducted drug and alcohol testing on crewmembers and the river pilot onboard the vessel at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.

The ship was refloated during Friday morning's high tide. Three tugs are escorting the KM London to Longview where it will moor and receive additional damage assessments, the Coast Guard said, adding that the cause of the incident is under investigation.