As of Apri 26, 137 containers of the estimated 180 necessary to access the portion of the bridge atop the 'Dali' have been removed. 171 commercial vessels have transited the four alternate channels, including five of the vessels waiting to depart the Port of Baltimore since March 26. More than 350 uniformed and civilian workers from 53 federal, state, and local agencies across the U.S. have been deployed to Baltimore for the ongoing recovery and salvage efforts. In addition, 553 contract specialists were actively involved in various roles related to dive, crane, and vessel operations. Over 1,000 individuals have contributed to the Key Bridge Response mission over the past month. To address the estimated 50,000 tons of wreckage at the Francis Scott Key Bridge site, the Unified Command has assembled a substantial fleet of diverse vessels and equipment which includes 36 barges, 27 tugs, 22 floating cranes, 10 excavators, one dredger, one skimmer, and three Coast Guard cutters. Progress in the salvage effort has been significant, with over 3,000 tons of wreckage and debris already removed from the site for disposal or recycling. 90 dive missions have been conducted by as many as seven dive teams, each consisting of four to five specialists. This tally does not include the numerous recovery-related dives undertaken within the initial 48 hours by over 60 divers from the Maryland State Police and other federal, state, and local agencies. Survey vessels deployed by the Unified Command have executed more than 60 missions to gather sonar and laser imagery, essential for mapping the wreckage of the 'Dali' and determining safe maritime navigation routes. This data, acquired day and night, is crucial for diver safety, enabling dive supervisors to guide underwater operations amidst the murky depths of the Patapsco River. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coast Survey completed nine hydrographic survey assessments to help establish the temporary channels by identifying obstructions for salvage teams to remove. Following obstruction removal, the NOAA hydrographic survey team returned and verified the temporary alternate channels were clear and safe for vessel navigation. Aerial efforts have also played a vital role, with more than 100 pilots and support specialists from over 35 agencies conducting 250 Unmanned Aircraft System missions and 60 manned helicopter and fixed-wing sorties. Serving as the literal eye-in-the-sky, the Air Operations branch has been instrumental from the early search and rescue phase to the ongoing salvage operations, providing essential oversight for Unified Command planners, operators, and leadership. Report with photo: https://www.keybridgeresponse2024.com/post/update-16-multimedia-release-unified-command-reflects-on-month-s-progress-during-joint-recovery-and
News
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
On April 26 the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that a migrant boat was in difficulty north of the Hardelot beach through various calls. telephone calls and deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' to check the boat and rescue the people in difficulty. Once on scene, the crew of the 'Abeille Normandie' picked up the 54 people on board the boat. After an initial treatment on board, all migrants were dropped off a few hours later at the dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police.
Sines
The Portuguese government announced an investment of 547 million euros in the expansion of the Port of Sines in the southwest of the country and an agreement to extend its concession from 2029 to 2049. The agreement was reached last week between Portugal and PSA Singapore for the completion of the 3rd phase of expansion of Terminal XXI, so as to greatly increase its capacity and give another 20 years of operations in Portugal to PSA Singapore. The Sines port, 58 nautical miles south of Lisbon, is one of the major European ports and the great hub port of the Iberian-Atlantic front.
Barcelona
BEST terminal in the Port of Barcelona has recently increased its storage and connection capacity for refrigerated containers, from 1,600 connection points up to 2,750, an increase of 70%, making it one of the terminals with the most connections for refrigerated containers in the whole of the Mediterranean area.
MSC PASSION III
The Port of Baltimore welcomed the 'MSC Passion III', being the first commercial container ship to enter the port, on April 28, 2024m since the suspension of vessel traffic following the Francis Scot Key Bridge collapse on March 26. The ship berthed at Ports America Chesapeake’s Seagirt Terminal via the newly opened 35-foot-deep alternative channel. Approximately 1,000 containers were handled by around 80 workers from the International Longshoremen Association. The 'MSC Passion III' was preceded by the barge 'Columbia Freedom' at the terminal, which saw loading and discharging of 442 containers. Report with photos: https://www.worldcargonews.com/news/2024/04/1st-container-ship-docks-at-baltimores-seagirt-terminal-since-bridge-collapse/?gdpr=accept
MINCK
On April 27 the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that some migrant boats were in difficulty off the coast of Pas-de-Calais. At around 3:00 a.m., the CROSS deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' to check the situation on board a migrant boat, detected by the semaphore, which had stopped off the coast of Boulogne with 10 people on board. The tug launched the semi-rigid, which recovered the castaways who were dropped off on a pontoon at the marina of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of at the end of the night by the land rescue services and the border police. Shortly after, the 'Abeille Normandie' was again engaged by the CROSS Gris-Nez to assist another migrant boat reported in difficulty off the coast of Cap-Blanc-Nez and rescued 33 people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by French means and continued their journey under appropriate surveillance. The people picked up by the 'Abeille Normandie' were dropped off at the dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police. In the middle of the day, a third migrant boat was reported in difficulty in the Canche Bay. The CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Minck' to assist. Once on scene, the crew informed the CROSS that there were around 50 people on board and that three people were already in the water and that one of the tubes of the boat was punctured. The 'Minck' launched its semi-rigid boat to rescue the people. The CROSS also tasked the Coastguard launch 'DF37-Nordet', the BSAM 'Rhône' and the VCSM 'Maroni' to support the 'Minck' in the rescue operation. The 'Nordet' was the closest and arrived quickly. The 'Minck' indicates to the CROSS that the boat remained afloat despite the puncture and continued the recoveries with the support of the 'Nordet'. The recoveries took place quite quickly, and the CROSS disengaged the other ships to keep them at sea in other maritime sectors. 45 minutes after the start of recovery operations, 56 people were treated on board the 'Minck', including one person with a slight knee injury. All migrants were disembarked at Boulogne-sur-mer and taken care of at the dock.
Rotterdam
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II’s new rail service between its Rotterdam terminal and Venlo, a key logistics hub on the Dutch-German border is proving popular. Following the success of the initial five-times-per-week service, plans are already in place to scale this up to 14 times per week over the coming weeks.
Genova
A 24-hour national labour strike is planned on Jul 24, in all Italian ports and all transportations. The planned strike is subject to confirmation in the coming days.
MEIN SCHIFF 1
On April 25, 2024, the bridge crew of the 'Mein Schiff 1' discovered a boat with two people in distress during a day at sea between the ports of Málaga and Alicante. The Spanish Coastguard was then immediately alerted. The speed of the cruise ship was reduced and a dinghy was lowered into the water, and the people were successfully rescued. After providing support, the 'Mein Schiff 1' continued the current cruise as scheduled.
ABEILLE NORMANDIE
On April 27 the CROSS Gris-Nez was informed that some migrant boats were in difficulty off the coast of Pas-de-Calais. At around 3:00 a.m., the CROSS deployed the 'Abeille Normandie' to check the situation on board a migrant boat, detected by the semaphore, which had stopped off the coast of Boulogne with 10 people on board. The tug launched the semi-rigid, which recovered the castaways who were dropped off on a pontoon at the marina of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were taken care of at the end of the night by the land rescue services and the border police. Shortly after, the 'Abeille Normandie' was again engaged by the CROSS Gris-Nez to assist another migrant boat reported in difficulty off the coast of Cap-Blanc-Nez and rescued 33 people. Several people still on board the boat refused the assistance offered by French means and continued their journey under appropriate surveillance. The people picked up by the 'Abeille Normandie' were dropped off at the dock in Boulogne-sur-Mer and taken care of by the shore based rescue services and the border police. In the middle of the day, a third migrant boat was reported in difficulty in the Canche Bay. The CROSS Gris-Nez deployed the 'Minck' to assist. Once on scene, the crew informed the CROSS that there were around 50 people on board and that three people were already in the water and that one of the tubes of the boat was punctured. The 'Minck' launched its semi-rigid boat to rescue the people. The CROSS also tasked the Coastguard launch 'DF37-Nordet', the BSAM 'Rhône' and the VCSM 'Maroni' to support the 'Minck' in the rescue operation. The 'Nordet' was the closest and arrived quickly. The 'Minck' indicates to the CROSS that the boat remained afloat despite the puncture and continued the recoveries with the support of the 'Nordet'. The recoveries took place quite quickly, and the CROSS disengaged the other ships to keep them at sea in other maritime sectors. 45 minutes after the start of recovery operations, 56 people were treated on board the 'Minck', including one person with a slight knee injury. All migrants were disembarked at Boulogne-sur-mer and taken care of at the dock.
Churchill
Canada’s arctic port of Churchill is set to resume its first grain shipments since 2015 after a group backed by investor Prem Watsa stepped in last year to buy the facility and a related rail line linking the northern town with the rest of Manitoba. The 88-year-old port on the shores of Hudson’s Bay will resume operations in the next few months, reducing by several days the shipping time to deliver grains to Europe and the Middle East across the Atlantic Ocean.
King Abdullah Port
In the largest commercial operation of its kind in the history of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah Port has received 28 state-of-the-art Liebherr cranes to start the expansion of the container terminals. The latter was decided through a MoU signed with National Container Terminal on the day the port was officially inaugurated in the presence of the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman last February. The new cranes include 20 gantry cranes and 8 ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, which are the largest of their kind, with an outreach of 70 m (25 rows) and a safe working load of 65 t. The cranes that were supplied in this deal will join their operational counterparts in the port. They are the largest cranes exported by Liebherr and can serve mega container ships easily and seamlessly.