Resolve Marine has removed about 6,086 tonnes of the grounded containership MSC Baltic III at Cedar Cove on Newfoundland’s west coast, amounting to nearly 55 per cent of the vessel’s total tonnage, the Canadian Coast Guard said in an October 2 update.
The stern section is still afloat and crews are preparing it to be pulled, while cutting and removal work continues.
The bow and midship sections were pulled a further 42 metres towards shore on September 27, bringing them within reach of the shoreline scrap pad. Tank cleaning was continuing to remove residual fuel, with absorbent boom remaining in place to help prevent pollution.
Pulling operations began on July 31. The wreck is being dismantled in stages as it is brought ashore.
About 4,200 tonnes, or 40 per cent of the vessel’s total tonnage, had been removed by September 9. The amount rose to about 5,700 tonnes, close to 50 per cent, by September 14.
A large bow section was removed on September 9 and brought ashore for cutting into smaller pieces.
The wreck-removal phase followed work to remove cargo and pollutants. By July 16, 471 of the ship’s 472 containers had been taken off. One damaged container was expected to stay aboard the wreck until it reached shore.
Shortly after the grounding, about 1.7 million litres of heavy fuel and marine gas oil were aboard the vessel. By August 2025, crews had emptied its internal tanks of bulk oil.
MSC Baltic III grounded near Wild Cove and Lark Harbour on February 15, 2025, after a winter storm caused it to lose power. All 20 people aboard were airlifted to safety.
