by Lloyd's List
4 March 2025 (Lloyd's List) - THE salvage operation of a grounded Mediterranean Shipping Company containership will first focus on removing fuel, MSC said.
MSC has appointed T & T Salvage to develop a salvage plan for the vessel, but the current assessment is that Liberia-flagged MSC Baltic III (IMO: 9241475) cannot safely be refloated.
As a result, the line said it had requested salvors focus on removing fuel and any potentially hazardous cargo from the vessel. MSC has secured the containers still on board and has a plan for their removal, it said.
Tank soundings revealed the containership was holding approximately 1.7m tonnes of heavy fuel oil and marine gas oil.
MSC Baltic III ran aground near Lark Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada on February 15 after losing power. Its crew were airlifted to safety by a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter.
MSC said marine oil spill response service Eastern Canada Response Corporation, which is owned by several Canadian oil companies, has been engaged.
The Switzerland-headquartered line is working with ECRC on plans for the containment and clean-up of any oil spilled into the water. So far, no pollution has been observed.
Bad weather conditions have continued to hamper the salvage operation from the very beginning, with CCG discussing whether a road could be developed to allow easier access to the vessel.
