According to the latest data from the Canadian Coast Guard, published on July 9, approximately 85% of the heavy fuel has been successfully pumped off the grounded containership MSC Baltic III near the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The vessel has remained aground at Wild Cove since February 15, when it lost power approximately 12 nautical miles from the Bay of Islands. Poor weather conditions prevented the crew from anchoring before the vessel ran aground.
Fuel removal remains a priority, with current efforts focused on extracting oil from the engine room and smaller tanks. At the time of the incident, the vessel had approximately 1.7 million liters (50,000 gallons) of heavy fuel and marine diesel on board.
Container removal operations are also ongoing, with 208 out of 472 containers already extracted from the grounded vessel. The EEMS Dublin remains in the area to support personnel and container evacuation operations.
Environmental monitoring is ongoing, with minor traces of oil observed, including tar spots and small tar balls in Cedar Cove and on nearby shorelines. To ensure the safety of responders and the public, an emergency zone with a one-nautical-mile drone restriction has been established around the vessel.
All 20 crew members were safely evacuated by a Cormorant helicopter shortly after the grounding in February. The vessel’s cargo mainly consisted of food products, lumber, and paper, with over half of the containers reported to be empty.
At the time of the incident, MSC Baltic III was en route from Montreal to Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Response and recovery operations are ongoing but continue to face challenges due to the vessel’s remote location and adverse weather conditions
