MSC Baltic III grounding in east Canada may require road rebuild to access site for salvage
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) has indicated it is difficult to predict how long the salvage operation for the grounded MSC Baltic III will take, due to poor weather and the remote location.
The CCG has established an incident command post in the Lark Harbour lifeboat station, and currently on scene are 14 response crew, a 26-foot pollution response vessel and Rosborough vessel, as well as the CCGS Jean Goodwill providing support as required.
On the shore nearby there are also a response trailer, four medium haulers, a medium-high speed sweep, two deck tanks, 800 metres of Ro-boom, all-terrain vehicles, and 14 clump weights.
"Sea conditions continue to hamper on- water operations. Canadian Coast Guard crews continue to assess the MSC Baltic III from the shoreline and by air. No pollution has been observed," said the CCG.
MSC has put forward options to remove fuel and cargo from the vessel, both by sea and land, and a combination of these options may be used.
The options include the use of a tug and barge along with portable tanks, as well as possible ground transportation through upgrades and extensions of the road to provide access to the MSC Baltic III. If the road is constructed, it would also help alleviate the impact sea conditions have on removal operations, said the CCG.
The salvage company is mobilizing the necessary equipment to heat and remove the heavy oil from the fuel tanks, and have indicated that the shipboard cranes are operational and can be used to offload the cargo.
The emergency and drone restriction zone that was in place for the protection and safety of responders in the area and the public has been reduced from two nautical miles to one nautical mile to account for the salvage contractors’ current operational footprint.
"We recognize there are concerns about the impacts of increased on-water traffic on the fishing industry," added the CCG. "We are exploring options to decrease these impacts, including installation of floating docks for coast guard assets to lessen congestion in the area."
