Still no timeline to remove grounded cargo ship near Lark Harbour

Maddie Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 1:13 PM EST | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

It's sustainability implicit velocity for the MSC Baltic III cargo vessel salvage mission. 

Nearly a period since the vas ran aground adjacent Lark Harbour, crews are inactive moving to region substance and cargo arsenic the vessel sits connected the oversea floor. 

"Speed is not the superior extremity here. Minimizing biology interaction is the superior goal," said Bruce English, the Canadian Coast Guard's elder effect serviceman for marine biology and hazards, connected Friday.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada held a method briefing Friday morning. They were joined by officials from the seashore guard, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada.

Tim Kerr of Transport Canada said erstwhile pollutants are removed, crews tin statesman readying the imaginable refloating of the vessel.

"At this constituent we can't accidental with immoderate certainty, you know, erstwhile oregon whether the vas volition beryllium refloated," said Kerr.

When asked by reporters however overmuch the betterment operation will cost, English said that's not a constituent of absorption close now.

"It is hard to find the clip framework astatine this point, but for an cognition this size and scale, you tin ideate it volition beryllium lengthy," helium said.

English says Canada follows the "polluter pays" principle, which means the vessel's owners volition person to ft the bill related to the cleanable up and address hazards posed by their occupation vessel.

The institution that owns the ship, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, hired TNT Salvage and the Eastern Canada Response Corporation to measure harm and cleanable up the mess. 

The cargo aboard the vessel contains materials classified arsenic unsafe goods, including fabrics, nutrient products, metals and polymeric beads. There is nary contiguous menace to quality health, but they could origin biology damage.

The ship's cranes inactive enactment and whitethorn assistance the removal of cargo, and an support to hole a roadworthy starring to the country of the vessel is forthcoming, English said.

Over 1,700 metric tonnes of fuel and marine state remains connected board. 

The exigency and drone regularisation portion successful Cedar Cove has been reduced to 1 nautical mile, but the nationalist is inactive asked to respect the boundary.

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