The hatch cover that was blown overboard during the explosion on the bulker W-Sapphire was retrieved from the Baltimore shipping channel on Thursday, August 28. It is part of the ongoing investigation into the incident 10 days ago, on August 18, shortly after the vessel departed the coal terminal in Baltimore.
The Fort McHenry Federal Channel leading into and out of the Port of Baltimore was closed to vessel traffic on Thursday from 0730 to 1500 local time. A 500-yard safety zone radius was established around the location of the hatch cover at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay.
Dive and salvage operations were undertaken. By mid-afternoon, the USCG posted that the 30-ton hatch had been successfully retrieved from the Patapsco River. The safety zone restriction was removed and the channel reopened.
Army Corps surveying the harbor area after the explosion (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District)…