The Port of Baltimore channel could fully reopen on the weekend of June 8/9 after nearly 11 weeks of painstaking operations to remove massive pieces of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The entire 700-foot wide channel is expected to reopen between June 8 and June 10, a step made possible by the removal of the last piece of steel bridge that has been blocking the channel. Clearing the final piece of bridge truss, a structure of interconnected concrete, cables and steel rebar, was completed using concrete breakers, torches and underwater surveys. Though crews in May were able to clear a limited, 400-foot avenue for vessels to pass through, the complete reopening of the channel will usher in a return to full operations at the port. The removal of the ship allowed for the temporary 400-foot channel to be opened. A pair of cruise ships set sail on May 27 from the Port of Baltimore for the first time since the bridge collapse. Baltimore officials have been working with the federal government to restore economic activity at the port and plan the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which served as a critical thoroughfare for about 30,000 daily commuters. Report with photos: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/06/05/us/baltimore-port-reopen-bridge-removal
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NORDIC LILY
The 'Nordic Lily' ran aground on the beach of Pinedo in Valencia on June 5, 2024, while headed for the Valencia Yachh Club. The captain had to be medevaced to the La Fe Hospital in Valencia by the SAR helicopter Helimer 203 of Salvamento MArítimo. The other two crew members remained on board. The ship suffered a major leak, and a salvage team was dispatched to carry out tempeoray repairs, before the Maritime Captaincy could pull the ship off again. The authoprity had launched an investigation. Reports with photos: https://murciatoday.com/british_yacht_stranded_on_beach_in_spain_1000068960-a.html https://www.esdiario.com/valencia/183081612/el-yate-nordic-lily-neuva-atraccion-turistica-de-valencia.html
GUARDAMAR URANIA
A cayuco was located by the research vessel 'Ramform Atlas' (IMO: 9629897) on the afternoon of June 5, 2024, en route from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, to Pecem, about 207 kilometers southwest of La Gomera. The boat had more than a hundred people on board, about whom there were no further details for now. The SAR vessels 'Guardamar Urania', 'Guardamar Talía', 'Salvamar Adhara' and 'Salvamar Mizar' as well as the SAR helicopter Helimer 201 were sent to the area and encountered four more boats with a large number of migrants on board and started providing aid. Finally 516 people were rescued from five cayucos with the units working all night. The resonse was coordinated by the CCS Tenerife and the Maritime Captaincy Directorate. Photos: https://x.com/salvamentogob/status/1798671779826966613
KEOYOUNG PIONEER
On June 5 a salvage company will begin releasing the cargo of cyclohexane of the 'Keoyoung Pioneer' into the water off the coast of Kuchinoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, after the hull was split by waves off the coast of Kuchinoshima. On April 23, one week after the shipwreck, a substance believed to be cyclohexane was detected near the grounding site. After that, work was carried out to drain the oil from the ship, which was completed on May 10. As of April 25, when work to remove the oil from the hull began, the stern of the ship had sunk significantly. On May 16 at 7.30 a.m., it was confirmed that the hull had split apart due to wave impact with only the bow and the upper part of the bridge protruding from the water. On May 23 work to raise the wreck was carried out by the 3,700-ton lifting crane ship "Musashi" of Fukada Salvage Construction. The 350-ton lifting crane ship "No. 31 Shin-Ei Maru," owned by Suncraft Co., Ltd. was deployed on the bow side to assist in the lifting. However, the work could not be finalized. The reason for choosing the final measure of releasing the cargo into the oceanwas that the hull had split and tilted, making it impossible to safely remove the cargo. The release was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on June 5. It was not known how much cyclohexane has remained on board, but the load at the time of the grounding was reported to be 2,886 tons. Reports with photos: https://crane1000.com/cargo-recovery-of-korean-flagged-chemical-tanker-stranded-off-the-coast-of-kuchinoshima-halted-release-into-ocean-begins/ https://crane1000.com/hull-of-south-korean-flagged-chemical-tanker-stranded-off-kuchinoshima-island-breaks-due-to-rough-weather/ https://crane1000.com/rising-of-korean-flagged-chemical-tanker-capsized-off-the-coast-of-shimonoseki-begins/
RAMFORM ATLAS
A cayuco was located by the 'Ramform Atlas' on the afternoon of June 5, 2024, en route from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, to Pecem, about 207 kilometers southwest of La Gomera. The boat had more than a hundred people on board, about whom there were no further details for now. The SAR vessel 'Guardamar Urania' lifeboat was sent by Salvamento Marítimo encountered two more boats with a large number of migrants on board and was providing aid to about 400 people. This figure was still provisional, because the operation was ongoing.