News

The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened the Fort McHenry Federal Channel in and out of the Port of Baltimore in cooperation with tugs, pilots, and other port partners to achieve this as quickly as possible. The response to the explosion aboard the 'W Sapphire', which had forced the temporary closure of the Fort McHenry Federal Channel, was continued. The U.S. Coast Guard determined the timing of vessel arrivals and departures. As of Aug 19, the Patapsco River had been closed to all vessel traffic between pos. 39°11.70’ N, 076°31.71’ W, near Swan Creek, and 39°12.6’ N, 076°29.74’ W, near Sparrows Point, extending up to the former location of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Additionally, a 500-yard safety zone has been established around the vessel, which was anchored in pos. 39°01.4’ N, 076°22.10 ’W, north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. No injuries have been reported, and the fire has been extinguished. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation. The explosion detached a hatch which was blown into the water. Plans to locate and retrieve the hatch were under development, but its exact location and potential impact on the navigable channel remained unknown. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed thesonar-equipped survey vessel 'Buck' to the incident site at approximately 7:30 a.m. The 'Buck' started collecting data to identify any obstructions to the safe navigation of traffic entering or exiting the Port of Baltimore via the Fort McHenry Federal Channel. This data will help determine the operational plan needed to fully reopen the federal channel. Multiple agencies have joined the response effort, including Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay response boat crews, a Coast Guard Station Annapolis response boat crew, Sector Maryland – National Capital Region responders, Baltimore Fire Department crews, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police. The port officials s were working closely with the Coast Guard and port partners to monitor the situation. The safety zone previously established for all navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay within a 2,000-yard radius of a detached hatch cover in pos. 39.20692° N, 76.51733° W has been discontinued. An intermittent safety zone will be activated for all navigable waters within a 500-yard radius of the hatch cover in pos. 39.20865° N, 76.52017° W during dive and salvage operations that were tentatively scheduled for on Aug 20 at 6:00 a.m. A 500-yard safety zone remained in effect around the 'W Sapphire' in pos. 39.02333° N, 76.36833° W. Mariners were advised to avoid this area.A draft restriction has been established for vessels transiting within a 500-yard radius of the detached hatch cover, now located in pos. 39.20865° N, 76.52017° W. Vessels were restricted to a maximum navigational draft of 46.6 feet due to the depth of 49.7 feet at Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). Crews are awaiting verification to confirm safe conditions before proceeding with further Coast Guard investigations aboard the 'W Sapphire:. The Coast Guard and partner agencies continued to actively monitor the situation and coordinate recovery efforts to ensure the safety of maritime operations in the area. Reports with graphics: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4279781/coast-guard-updates-safety-zones-and-draft-restrictions-following-w-sapphire-in/ https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4278939/update-coast-guard-partner-agencies-respond-to-vessel-explosion-in-baltimore-ha/

The legal woes for the MSC were continuing in India, with the Kerala High Court continuing to side with plaintiffs and attach MSC vessels such as the 'MSC Palermo' and 'MSC Makoto II' as collateral for the growing number of claims after the sinking of the 'MSC Elsa 3'. Twice, the court has ordered the ships detained at the Vizhinjam Port pending a bond from MSC. On Aug 14, was the latest court hearing after six separate admiralty claims were filed. According to the court papers, the suits alleged that fishing nets, wire ropes, and other fishing material became entangled with debris from the 'MSC Elsa 3'. The court issued an interim order to detain the 'MSC Makoto II' at the port of Vizhinjam, pending a bond. Four Indian fishermen simultaneously had filed claims with the High Court for damages incurred to their fishing vessels. According to the individual claims filed with the court, the four individuals said their vessels had been damaged by debris floating below the surface after the 'MSC Elsa 3' went down. They also said that debris had become entangled in their fishing nets, causing severe damage. They also included claims for lost metal chains, ropes, and other fishing gear. The filings were timed to the call of the 'MSC Palermo' at Vizhinjam. They demanded the arrest of the vessel, until their claims could be heard by the court. The High Court found for the plaintiffs and ordered the detention of the vessel at the port on Aug 12. The company’s representatives were able to post a bond against the claims. The vessel was released and resumed its voyage on Aug 13. The 'MSC Makoto II' left Vizhinjam on Aug 16 en route to Haldia with an ETA as of Aug 20. These, however, were the fourth and fifth times that the court had detained an MSC vessel due to claims. In June, the 'MSC Polo II' was briefly detained for a claim by the Cashew Board, and four days later, the 'MSC Manasa F' was also detained. Both times, the company was able to post bonds for the release of the ships. The 'MSC Akiteta II' was detained in relation to the $1 billion claim filed by the state. MSC has not posted a bond to release the ship, which was originally detained on July 8. The ship remained at the Vizhinjam port as of Aug 16 with little prospect of being released in the short term.

On the night of Aug 17, 2025, the 'Atlantic Treasure' started rapidly taking on water about 140 nautical miles off St. John's, on its way to the Grand Banks. A seawater pipe burst was thought to have caused the vessel to take on water faster than pumps could cope. The Skipper Noah Deveau and his crew tried everything to get the situation under control. The crew deployed two life-rafts as a precaution. Three people prepared all the safety gear while the rest of the eight-person crew worked to try to save the ship. The water was flooding the deck at the same time as the engine room, while the pumps were losing power, and the shgip was listing over hard. The crew moved to a life-raft while they still had functioning lights to guide them. Deveau had made contact with the Canadian Coast Guard out of Placentia, N.L., and other vessels, including the "Maid of Amsterdam" (MMSI: 316053143), another fishing vessel from Nova Scotia, which was 40 kilometres away. The fishermen had been wrapping up a 12-day trip to the Grand Banks for halibut and heading back to port in Cape Breton to beat the looming hurricane.The captain immediately turned around. It took three hours for the vessel to reach the life rafts. The weather was still unusually calm with a drizzle and only light wind.. With practiced maneuvers, the crew brought all castaways aboard early on Aug 18. Just hours later, Hurricane Erin was due to pass the coast with winds of up to 180 km/h. A Coastguard helicopter arrived on scene about 10 minutes after the rescue. The 'Atlantic Treasure' sank stern first, while the crews were still at the scene. Report with video: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/fishing-rescue-coast-guad-1.7611603

Due to the ongoing issue of the 'Lochnevis', serving on the route Mallaig-Small Isles and still under repair in Greenock, the ferry 'Loch Bhrusda' and the charter vessel 'Miss Marley' operated a timetable for booked traffic on Aug 20. In addition, the charter vessel 'Larven' was operating a passenger only service in order to provide services to the Small Isle, some amendments were required to the Skye timetable to prevent berthing clashes in Mallaig. This impacted afternoon sailing by the 'Loch Fyne' as follows: Departure Armadale – 2:00 p.m. (previously 2:15 p.m); Arrival Mallaig – 2:45 p.m. (previously 3:00 p.m); Departure Mallaig – 3:00 p.m. (previously 3:15 p.m); Arrival Armadale – 3:45 p.m. (previously 4:00 p.m.); Departure Armadale – 4:00 p.m. (previously 4:15 p.m.); Arrival Mallaig – 4:45 p.m. (previously 5:00 p.m).

The legal woes for the MSC were continuing in India, with the Kerala High Court continuing to side with plaintiffs and attach MSC vessels such as the 'MSC Palermo' and 'MSC Makoto II' as collateral for the growing number of claims after the sinking of the 'MSC Elsa 3'. Twice, the court has ordered ships detained at the Vizhinjam Port pending a bond from MSC. On Aug 14, was the latest court hearing after six separate admiralty claims were filed. According to the court papers, the suits alleged that fishing nets, wire ropes, and other fishing material became entangled with debris from the 'MSC Elsa 3'. The court issued an interim order to detain the 'MSC Makoto II' at the port pending a bond. Four Indian fishermen simultaneously had filed claims with the High Court for damages incurred to their fishing vessels. According to the individual claims filed with the court, the four individuals said their vessels had been damaged by debris floating below the surface after the 'MSC Elsa 3' went down. They also said that debris had become entangled in their fishing nets, causing severe damage. They also included claims for lost metal chains, ropes, and other fishing gear. The filings were timed to the call of the 'MSC Palermo' at Vizhinjam. They demanded the arrest of the vessel, until their claims could be heard by the court. The High Court found for the plaintiffs and ordered the detention of the vessel at the port on Aug 12. The company’s representatives were able to post a bond against the claims. The vessel was released and resumed its voyage on Aug 13 en route to Sines with an ETA as of Sep 4. These, however, were the fourth and fifth times that the court had detained an MSC vessel due to claims. In June, the 'MSC Polo II' was briefly detained for a claim by the Cashew Board, and four days later, the 'MSC Manasa F' was also detained. Both times, the company was able to post bonds for the release of the ships. The 'MSC Akiteta II' was detained in relation to the $1 billion claim filed by the state. MSC has not posted a bond to release the ship, which was originally detained on July 8. The ship remained at the Vizhinjam port as of Aug 16 with little prospect of being released in the short term.