A container ship, MSC Baltic III, stranded on the west coast of Newfoundland, has sustained damage from severe winds and storm surges in the region recently, as confirmed by the Canadian Coast Guard. In an update released online on Friday, the agency highlighted a notable deterioration in the ship’s port side due to the extreme weather conditions. Additionally, there has been significant movement observed in both the bow and stern sections of the vessel.
The MSC Baltic III initially ran aground in Cedar Cove near Lark Harbour on the island’s west coast back in February. Subsequent cleanup and salvage operations have been in progress since then. Bruce English, the senior response officer from the Marine Environmental and Hazards Section of the Canadian Coast Guard, had previously estimated that the ship would not be extracted until at least next summer due to the remaining oil in its tanks.
On Friday, the salvage team reported equipment damage aboard the Baltic III, along with visible debris in the water and on the shoreline. Crews are currently on-site assessing the extent of the damage. Stay updated with CBC Newfoundland and Labrador by downloading the free CBC News app for push alerts and signing up for their daily headlines newsletter.