Despite an eight-month-long salvage effort, it has not been possible to remove all the containers from the grounded container ship MSC Baltic III, which was thrown onto the rocky coast of Newfoundland in February. The ship is now being prepared for the coming winter.
The vast majority of the fuel that was on board has now been removed, but there is still a significant amount of lubricating and hydraulic oil remaining.
There were 470 containers on board when the ship ran aground, about half of which were empty. 65 containers are still below deck, several of which are damaged.
To prepare the ship for the upcoming winter, several of the ballast tanks have been filled so the ship sits heavier on the ground.
Next spring, attempts will be made to pull the ship free – alternatively, it will be cut up on site and disposed of in smaller parts.
-mauh
