The owners of a dredger, which has been stranded off Lamma Island all year, have been ordered to expedite their salvage plan after failing to remove the vessel by a previous deadline set for April.

The 50-year-old Sea Diamond, a dilapidated cutter suction dredger, remains partly submerged off Ha Mei Wan, a rural Lamma Island beach.

A Marine Department (MD) spokesperson said on Thursday that it had been in touch with the owners, who “had previously attempted to refloat the vessel by removing the superstructure and pumping out water from the flooded compartments in a bid to remove the vessel.”

“However, the progress has been delayed due to heavy rainfall from time to time in recent weeks. In addition, the damage to its hull was found to be more severe than anticipated, which has complicated the salvage operation. The MD is urging the shipowner to expedite the salvage process and remove the vessel as soon as possible,” the spokesperson added.

Dredgers are used as underwater excavators, cutting and sucking up material from the seabed before discharging it via pipelines.

The ageing Sea Diamond was built in Singapore in 1976. It is unclear who the current owner is.

The department said the owners had already breached the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance, risking a HK$10,000 fine, after they failed to report the incident within 24 hours. Legal proceedings are ongoing.

The MD said there were no reports of oil leaks or hazardous materials seeping into the ocean. However, “the shipowner deployed an oil containment boom around the vessel as a precautionary measure as requested” by the department.

According to Hong Kong’s Shipping and Port Control Ordinance, if stricken vessels are not removed by the owner, the Marine Department will make arrangements and recover costs from the owner.

HKFP has reached out to Islands District Councillor Lau Shun-ting for comment.

National Geographic's new documentary film, "Time and Water," grapples with a challenging, profound question: How do you say goodbye to what you never thought you could lose? Through archival footage, photos, art, and science, Academy Award-nominated director Sara Dosa follows acclaimed Icelandic writer and poet Andri Snær Magnason as he confronts the death of his country's glaciers, the loss of his grandparents, and the kind of world he hopes future generations can experience. The story's next chapters are being written at this very second.

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Sindy: "Every Girl's Best Friend!" UK Comic Strip Serial - Episode 23 (Marvel Comics LTD. 1986) 3of3

*Appeared In: Sindy, "Every Girl's Best Friend!" UK Magazine Issue No. 23 - September 20 (Marvel Comics LTD.) 1986

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Vintage postcard. Filmex NV. Ed. Takken, Utrecht. Magda Schneider in Robinson soll nicht sterben/ The Girl and the Legend (Josef von Baky, 1957), released in The Netherlands as Droom-eiland (Dream Island).

German singer and actress Magda Schneider (1909-1996) is best known as the mother of film star Romy Schneider, but in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s s she herself starred in some 40 films. First she appeared on the screen as a charming Wiener mädel (Viennese girl) and after the war she often played the understanding mother or aunt.

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ZK-BAC 1967 BAC-167 Strikermaster RNZAF NZ6372
Photo Taken April 2026 at Warbirds over Wanaka New Zealand
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Some lucky photographers may have their work immortalized on British banknotes after the Bank of England asked the public to select animals to replace the historical figures that currently sit on the £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes.

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Thai police are investigating a vast arsenal of military-grade weapons — including assault rifles, explosives, grenades and anti-personnel mines — found at the home of a Chinese man, authorities said Saturday.

Two M16 assault rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, Russian landmines, projectiles, gasoline and nearly five kilos (11 pounds) of explosives were found at the home of Sun Mingchen, 31, near the beach resort of Pattaya.

There were no clear links to a planned attack, Chonburi province’s public relations department said in a statement, but local police chief Pongphan Wongmanithet told reporters at the scene they were “investigating security implications”.

Sun was charged with illegal possession of unauthorised weapons and could face up to 10 years in prison.

Thai media reported that the suspect’s phone contained AI chatbot searches on military plastic explosive properties and videos of him handling the weapons, fuelling concerns of possible “terrorist” intent.

Police are looking into the motive of the suspect, who will be taken for psychological evaluation, Pongphan said.

The raid on Sun’s home was prompted after police found a pistol in a car with two Chinese nationals on board during a traffic stop on Friday.

According to authorities, he held a long-term visa in Thailand and had lived in the property for about two years.