BALTIMORE – Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region personnel, in coordination with partner agencies, are actively engaged in salvage planning, Wednesday, to recover the hatch cover that detached during the explosion aboard the motor vessel W-Sapphire in the Baltimore Harbor.
A draft restriction remains in place, limiting the maximum navigational draft to 46.6 feet for vessels transiting within a 500-yard radius of the hatch cover's location.
An intermittent safety zone covering all navigable waters within a 500-yard radius of the hatch cover's location will be reactivated during future dive and salvage operations. Updates on the safety zone will be provided via the Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region’s official Facebook page.
The W-Sapphire remains anchored north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The vessel has enacted its vessel response plan and is in stable condition. Following a joint boarding conducted with other investigative entities, a comprehensive plan will be developed to safely clear the vessel from the port.
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