The bow and stern of the Willow, the semi-sunken boat in the Benalmádena marina, are removed

The Benalmádena Marina has removed the bow and stern of the USS Willow, the legendary ship of the US Navy that served as a disco and restaurant in the 80s and 90s, and which had been partially submerged since March 2019. The port authority began the removal of the vessel last January after six years of litigation between the ship's owner and the Benalmádena City Council regarding who was responsible for removing the ship, following its partial sinking by an easterly storm in March 2019, after the ship had been abandoned for years at the port facilities. The owner of the ship claimed compensation of 13 million euros from the Benalmádena City Council, an amount which the courts reduced to 40,000 euros and finally to 4,000 euros, even ordering the owner to pay the legal costs. The removal of the vessel will involve an investment of 302,803.65 euros, but it will free up 19 berthing points in the Benalmádena marina, which will generate annual revenues of 100,000 euros, according to the City Council. The work to remove the remains of the ship began last January and is expected to be completed in the next two weeks, once the bow and stern are removed. The USS Willow is a steamship, built in the early 20th century to navigate the Mississippi, which once belonged to the US Navy and ended up moored at the Benalmádena Marina by fate. For years, it served as a major tourist attraction of Puerto Marina until its last owners ceased its economic activity and abandoned it on one of the docks of the port, until a storm partially sank it in 2019.