Grounded MSC Baltic III expected to remain for months more

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 11:46 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 3

Almost 5 months aft a cargo vessel ran aground connected Newfoundland's westbound coast, the Canadian Coast Guard expects it'll instrumentality a fewer much earlier the vas tin beryllium removed.

Work is good underway to region the lipid and containers onboard The MSC Baltic III, which ran aground successful mid-February successful Cedar Cove, located adjacent Lark Harbour.

The grounding prompted concerns astir the vessel's risk to the environment, balls of tar have appeared connected the adjacent shoreline.

Bruce English, a elder effect serviceman with the Marine Environmental and Hazard Section of the Canadian Coast Guard, said it took immoderate clip to get the cleanup effort underway, but the enactment has been accordant over the past fewer weeks.

"This is 1 of the largest [operations] we've been progressive with. We've been progressive with ample ships before, but ne'er to the grade of this benignant of salvage operation," English told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

"This is beauteous complex."

English said security institution representatives person been connected tract since the beginning, and helium and the nationalist person been reassured the vas volition beryllium removed eventually.

But determination inactive isn't an authoritative timeline for erstwhile that work volition be completed, English said, but he'd similar the substance removed from the vas by winter. He added it's apt the vas volition remain at its existent determination through the winter.

There were six precedence tanks filled with dense substance connected committee that are astir all removed, but English said there are inactive different hydrocarbons that request to beryllium removed with them.

Removing the lipid takes clip due to the fact that it has to beryllium heated betwixt 70 C and 80 C truthful it tin beryllium pumped out, helium said. That tin beryllium hard to execute with abbreviated windows of accidental to safely committee the vessel.

"You person to commencement implicit and you get it going again," said English.

The EEMS Dublin is connected site, English said, and the enactment is going much smoothly due to the fact that it has a walkway.

The Canadian Coast Guard reported successful April that tar balls the size of tennis balls person been appearing connected the shoreline adjacent the grounded vessel.

English said a effect enactment and Environment Canada person "ramped" up their shoreline assessments.

"If there's thing connected the enactment they're uncovering them," helium said. "They're cleaning it arsenic they go."

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