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With the 'Vinik No. 6' as leading tug, the SS 'United States' finally departed her Philadelphia berth on Feb 19 at midday on the first leg on her final journey to becoming the world’s largest artificial reef sunk off the coast of Florida. The ship had docked in an industrial part of the Port of Philadelphia in 1998 upon the return from Turkey and Ukraine where her interiors had been stripped to prepare for a possible new career as a cruise ship which never proceeded. For the past decade, the non-profit S.S. United States Conservancy sought to repurpose the vessel but in the end, was forced to sell the ship after losing a court fight with its landlord that controlled the Philadelphia pier. Last week, the vessel was shifted north across the slipway to the adjoining pier to begin the final preparations for the tow, which was later delayed by 48 hours due to weather concerns. High wind warnings delayed the departure one final time.After the tugs tugs positioned along the liner, they pulled it out of the slip, and turned it south in the Delaware River. The ship paused off Pier 80 while the 'Vinik No. 6', attached to the anchor chain hanging from the prow. The trip downriver began at around 12:30 p.m. with two tugs on each side and one more at the stern to guide the vessel. The first obstacle was the Walt Whitman Bridge, and it was reached just before low tide, when the clearance under the bridge would be greatest. Road traffic on the bridge was temporarily stopped for the convoy to pass underneath. When the vessel had arrived nearly 30 years ago, a radar antenna and a small signal light mast were removed for clearance under the bridge. It will take 24 hours for the tow to reach the mouth of the Delaware River and enter the Atlantic Ocean. The trip to Mobile, Alabama is projected to take about two weeks and the new owners, Florida’s Okaloosa Country, arranged livestream tracking online to follow the path. Once in Mobile, the process for decontamination will continue removing PCBs, asbestos, and other harmful materials. The fuel tanks need to be emptied of what remains from 1969 when she was last under steam in operation. The funnels, radar mast, and windows all are to be removed before the hull is reefed and the loose paint and decking materials are removed. Okaloosa County acquired the vessel for $1 million in October 2024 and expects to invest up to $10 million in the project to reef the liner, which is expected to take place in 2026. Report with photos and video: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/video-liner-s-s-united-states-departs-philadelphia-starting-final-voyage

The large Russian convoy was split in the Kattegat on Feb 17. While the "Aleksandr Otrakovskiy", the "Sparta" and the "General Skobelev" sailed through the Fehmarn Belt into the Baltic Sea, the "Ivan Gren" and the "Sparta II", which anchored in pos. 57° 34' N 011° 04' E, were still waiting off Skagen as of Feb 18. For days, the Russian units have been observed and accompanied by NATO units on their voyage. In the Fehmarn Belt, the Federal Police were on site with the patrol ship "Neustadt" together with the Danish Navy. The passage through the narrow waters of the Fehmarn Belt was closely monitored. There were no incidents as the Russian units strictly adhered to the traffic regulations. The corvette "Erfurt" took over the escort off Gedser. The Air Force also sent a Tornado jet from Jagel to the Kattegat on Jan 17 for reconnaissance.

On Feb 19, 2025, three Australian passengers from the 'Quantum of the Seas' were medevaced to the Koutio Médipôle. The operation took place in two stages by the 'Dumbéa' of the Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC), coordinated by the Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue (COSS). On the evening of Feb 18, the 'Quantum of the Seas' was approaching Noumea when the crew issued an alert on the health status of a first passenger. On Feb 19 at 8 a.m., the patrol boat intervened for his transfer to the health services ashore. As the cruise ship was preparing to leave the Caledonian lagoon, a new emergency call was made. The pilot on board the ship contacted the COSS to organize the evacuation of two other passengers requiring medical care. After a remote medical consultation with SAMU 988, the patrol boat set sail again. The passengers were picked up at around 10:30 a.m. and taken to Nouméa. The three passengers were then taken care of by the medical teams on site, befoe being transferred to the Médipôle.

The large Russian convoy was split in the Kattegat on Feb 17. While the "Aleksandr Otrakovskiy", the "Sparta" and the "General Skobelev" sailed through the Fehmarn Belt into the Baltic Sea, the "Ivan Gren" and the "Sparta II" were still waiting off Skagen. For days, the Russian units have been observed and accompanied by NATO units on their voyage. In the Fehmarn Belt, the Federal Police were on site with the patrol ship "Neustadt" together with the Danish Navy. The passage through the narrow waters of the Fehmarn Belt was closely monitored. There were no incidents as the Russian units strictly adhered to the traffic regulations. The corvette "Erfurt" took over the escort off Gedser. The Air Force also sent a Tornado jet from Jagel to the Kattegat on Jan 17 for reconnaissance.

On the early morning of Feb 19, 2025, the Milos Port Authority was informed of an emergency approach of the 'Nisos Rhodos' to the port of Adamas, in deviation from its scheduled route Piraeus - Heraklion, in order to disembark a 37-year-old passenger, who required immediate hospital care. The patient was transported by an ambulance to the Milos Health Center, while the ship continued on its scheduled route to Heraklion with a delay.