Eight people remained missing following the collision between the f/v "Yuenan Aoyu 36062" with the "SITC Danag" 22 nautical miles southwest of Yinggehai town in Ledong county off the southwestern coast of South China's Hainan province, resulting in the sinking of the fishing vessel, the provincial maritime search and rescue center said on April 7. Thanks to ongoing SAR efforts aided by an underwater robots and ROVs, the location of the sunken fishing boat was determined on April 6. However, due to the rapid flow of water at the site and the presence of fishing nets around the sunken ship, divers have not been able to enter the cabin. The fishermen were searched in an area exceeding 5,700 square nautical miles.
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MARE JONIO
The Italian authorities arrested the “Mare Jonio” on April 5 in Pozzallo. The Italian NGO Mediterranea has to pay a fine of 10,000 euros,. Two days ago, the socalled Libyan Coastguard fired on the “Mare Jonio” as the crew rescued 58 people in Libyan waters. The migrants were disembarked in the port of Pozzallo. I
FV BREIZ
The day after the trial, at the maritime court in Le Havre, of five people, prosecuted after the sinking of the 'Breiz', which caused the death of three young sailors in January 2021, off the coast of Lion-sur-Mer, the 28 sea rescue volunteers from the SNSM station in Trouville-Deauville have decided to be unavailable. The lifeboat “Michel d’Ornano” from the Trouville-Deauville SNSM station will not go out to sea until further notice. The volunteer sea rescuers were deeply shocked by the legal developments following the tragedy of the sinking: 'What happens to one of the most experienced among us can happen to us tomorrow, we are bruised and upset. We ask ourselves many questions about the extent of the risks incurred by any volunteer normally carrying out their mission. In the absence of convincing answers to these questions, the station's volunteers have decided to be unavailable and will therefore not respond to Cross calls." In his pleading on April 5, Me Eric Najsztat, one of the lawyers of the captain of the SNSM boat who is tried for negligence and forgery in a ship's document, criticized the public prosecutor for "blackening the picture of someone who been an impeccable rescuer more than 900 times in his life.” In addition to a one-year suspended prison sentence, Le Havre prosecutor Bruno Dieudonné also requested on April 4 a two-year sailing ban against the rescuer. It is a “desire for social humiliation”, estimated Mr. Najsztat, who pleaded for acquittal.
DALI
The Unified Command continued salvage operations at the Key Bridge site on April 6. Progress included the removal of a 156-ton piece of Span 19 outside of the navigational channel, which was hoisted and loaded onto a barge for future disposal. Traffic through the alternate channels, while still limited, was gradually increasing, with 10 vessels transiting since April 5. The Unified Command emphasized that safety remains their top priority throughout the operation. All measures were being taken to ensure the safety of the divers and personnel involved in the assessment process. The current 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remained in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Members of the public may not enter the safety zone unless authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) or designated representative. Those in the safety zone must comply with all lawful orders or directions given to them by the COTP or designated representative. The COTP issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16. Mariners were requested to monitor channel 16 for the latest information.
OCEAN VIKING
The 'Ocean Viking' has rescued 55 people off the coast of Libya on April 7, including four minors, who were on board a "wooden boat in distress. The 55 people were recovered safe and sound, but one of them collapsed from exhaustion while boarding the 'Ocean Viking'. The boat they were on board was sailing in international waters, and a Libyan patrol boat arrived on the scene just after the rescue, but did not intervene. The Italian maritime authorities have designated the port of Livorno to disembark the rescued people, which is located 1,160 kilometers from the rescue site.