The Canadian Coast Guard reports ongoing progress in the salvage operation for the grounded containership MSC Baltic III, which has been stranded since February 15 after losing power during a winter storm. Improved weather conditions have facilitated access to the vessel, and a new light vehicle road is expected to be completed this week to aid personnel access to the remote Newfoundland shore, though it is not intended for material removal.
Container removal has commenced, allowing teams to access fuel tanks that were previously unreachable. Approximately half of the heavy fuel onboard, estimated at 1,600 metric tons, has been removed through a heating and pumping process. The operation involves transferring fuel to storage tanks on the vessel, which is then moved to Corner Brook for transfer to other MSC vessels. As of this week, 115 containers have been removed, representing about a quarter of the total.
The Coast Guard continues to focus on fuel removal and pollution mitigation, having identified tar balls on the shoreline linked to the vessel. Despite significant hull damage and flooding in the engine room and cargo holds, there have been no updates on how the ship will be removed from the shore. The Coast Guard has indicated that removal is not currently feasible due to the damage.
