Fisheries union calls deterioration of the western NL shipwreck ‘a ticking environmental time bomb’Author of the article:By Gary Kean • The TelegramPublished Nov 15, 20257 minute readThe EEMS Dublin, right, sits alongside the MSC Baltic III, while the smaller Canadian Coast Guard vessel observes as salvage crews continue to assess the latest damage to the stranded cargo ship in Cedar Cove, NL on Nov. 10, 2025. Canadian Coast GuardArticle contentA preliminary assessment of the MSC Baltic III has given some idea of the latest damage to the grounded cargo ship, while fish harvesters are voicing concern once again about the environmental hazard the wreck poses. 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Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe 20-person crew had to be rescued from the ship in the midst of the snowstorm in a daring helicopter rescue as strong winds and heavy seas continued to pound the stricken vessel up against the rocky shoreline. Article contentThe salvage effort began within days, with crews spending the following months removing as much of the nearly 1,700 cubic metres of heavy fuel oil and other pollutants from the ship as possible, along with the majority of the 472 cargo containers the MSC Baltic III had been transporting. Article contentDuring those months, the weather has been relatively cooperative despite there being many days when sea conditions prevented the salvage crews from being able to board the ship. The ship’s hull had been damaged from the grounding, but the MSC Baltic III had been deemed stable, nestled on a rocky shelf just metres off the shore. Article contentAREAS ONBOARD MAY NOW BE UNSAFEArticle contentIn early November, the ship experienced the worst weather conditions it had faced since the storm that drove it ashore. Article contentArticle contentThat storm, which prevented crews from getting aboard the ship for several days, was so intense that it caused movement in the bow and stern of the ship and further damaged the vessel. Article contentCrews were finally able to get aboard on Monday, Nov. 10 and, according to the Canadian Coast Guard – which has been monitoring the salvage effort that has been undertaken by contractors hired by the ship’s owners — structural damage was visible in several areas. Article contentSome of the damage observed was below deck, in the framing and bulk heads, in the area of a water ballast tank. Article content“Areas onboard the vessel that had previously been deemed as safe may have experienced changes throughout the weather event,” stated the Canadian Coast Guard in an update on its live operations website.Article content The MSC Baltic III, grounded in Cedar Cove in western Newfoundland since Feb. 15, 2025, sustained some internal structural damage, in addition to the more obvious external damage, during stormy conditions in early November. Canadian Coast GuardArticle content‘S’ AXIS POINTArticle contentIn an interview with The Telegram on Friday, Nov. 14, Bruce English, the senior response officer of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental and Hazards Response Section, said the damage is located around the middle of the ship. Article contentThat’s the same location where the letter ‘S’ on the outside of the port side of the ship had been clearly indented from the time the ship first ran aground. English said that was the axis point on which the ship’s bow and stern were bending in the recent storm. Article contentInternally, English said there is some buckling of the ship’s inner hull and that there is evidence of damage at the same point on the starboard side of the ship. Article content“On the opposite side of the vessel (from the port side), there is also buckling in the bulkhead (a wall inside the ship),” explained English. “(The buckling has) moved right through to the other side of the vessel … It’s not broken apart. It’s just that you can see the buckling in it.” Article contentMORE ASSESSMENT NEEDEDArticle contentThe extent of the internal damage is still not known. Article contentA more thorough assessment is to be carried out by the salvage contractors, T & T Salvage, which English said has been busy tending to assessing and cleaning up its own equipment onboard and which is needed for operations to carry on. Article contentArticle contentThe contractor is conducting a damage assessment of that equipment and will replace what has been damaged as needed. Article contentOnce a thorough damage assessment has been completed, the coast guard said the salvage company and the ship’s owner, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, will evaluate what is needed and determine the next steps to appropriately continue response operations. Article content Seas calmed somewhat after the early November 2025 storm show the stern of the MSC Baltic III now sitting lower in the water. Photo by Donna VandeVeldeArticle contentNEWFOUND STABILITYArticle contentThere is some silver lining to the dismal cloud that has moved in over the salvage effort. Article contentAccording to English, the movement of the ship during the recent storm seems to have settled the ship somewhat again. Article contentAnother system that moved through western Newfoundland on Wednesday, Nov. 12 brought with it similar conditions as the previous week’s storm, but English said the ship did not bend nearly as much as it did this time around. Article contentHe noted that a dive team that did an underwater assessment of the ship’s hull has noted that the ship’s rudder stock – the shaft that connects the rudder blade to the steering mechanism – has been flattened out and the ship seems to have shifted into a more stable position for now. Article contentArticle content“The vessel is sitting better on the ground, which is really a good thing,” said English. Article contentIt’s already been determined that the outer hull of the double-hulled container ship was damaged from the initial grounding. The coast guard reported that the full results of the hull survey conducted by the third-party contractor on behalf of the salvage company are still pending but will provide more information regarding any major damages to the exterior condition of the hull. Article contentCRANES AND CABLEWAYArticle contentWhile it is obvious from looking at the ship that the crane nearest the wheelhouse is no longer in line with the others, English said the other two cranes seem to still be in alignment. Article contentThe wheelhouse crane will be one of the components to undergo an assessment by the salvage crew, but English noted the middle crane has been doing the bulk of the heavy lifting during operations anyway. Article contentOn Friday, Nov. 14, the crews were checking out the new cableway system that has been installed to transport personnel back and forth the ship from the shoreline via a cage on a zipline cable. Article contentEnglish reported that there didn’t appear to be any issues with the cableway, which will provide crews more reliable access to the wreck when sea conditions would have otherwise kept them off for safety reasons. Article content A huge wave smashes into the side of the MSC Baltic III precisely around the area where the ship’s structural integrity has already been compromised. Photo by Lee CochraneArticle contentSHORELINE CLEANUPArticle contentEven before the latest weather-related damage, tar balls and tar-stained rocks had been observed on the shoreline in and around Cedar Cove. Article contentWhile those were collected or cleaned up as they were found, the number of incidences had declined as operations went into the fall months, Article contentCrews have continued to complete shoreline assessments after each storm and, when possible, removing debris. The coast guard reported that one tar ball was found on Cedar Cove during the recent assessment. Article contentArticle contentOther than items such as ropes, hoses and water bottles, English said crews walking the nearby beaches have not noted any other signs of pollution from the MSC Baltic III. Article content‘WE CAN’T AFFORD TO WAIT’Article contentWhile most of the potential pollutants have been removed from the MSC Baltic III, crews are still in the process of removing residual fuels and oils and other hydrocarbons from the tanks. Article contentThere are also still 65 cargo containers below deck. Most of them contain materials that have been soaked, making the containers too heavy to be lifted out by the ship’s cranes. Article contentThe still exiting potential for the ship to break apart and pollute the marine environment around it, especially as more bad weather arrives throughout the rest of fall and the coming winter, continues to be a major concern for FFAW-Unifor, the union that represents fish harvesters and plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Article contentArticle contentThe union, in a press release, is worried that the salvage effort will be slowed by the latest deterioration of the ship’s condition. Article content“This isn’t just about one ship – it’s about protecting our future,” Stacey Wilton, a fish harvester from Fox Island River – which is south of Cedar Cove, said in a union press release. “If fuel, debris or contaminants from the Baltic III leak into our fishing areas, the impact on the crab and lobster fisheries could be devastating. We can’t afford to wait for another storm to do more damage.” Article content Waves crashing over the MSC Baltic III washed some of the salvage crew’s materials overboard and made a mess of what was left, but nothing containing any potential pollutants was lost Photo by Lee CochraneArticle content‘TICKING ENVIRONMENTAL TIME BOMB’Article contentFFAW-Unifor representatives met with MSC and salvage officials on Oct. 27 — before the most recent storm — to urge immediate cleanup before the onset of harsh winter conditions on the west coast. Article contentUnion members stressed that delaying the operation could lead to the exact scenario now unfolding. Article content“Our members made it clear months ago that waiting until winter would turn a bad situation into a disaster,” said Katie Power, the union’s industry relations representative. “This wreck is now a ticking environmental time bomb, and the lack of urgency to address it has put our fisheries, our coastlines, and our communities at serious risk.” Article contentFFAW-Unifor continues to receive updates from MSC on the status of the vessel and the ongoing salvage efforts. The Union said it remains deeply disappointed that measures were not taken sooner “to prevent this unfortunate and potentially devastating situation.” Article content‘IT TAKES TIME’Article contentEnglish said he understands and shares the union’s concerns about the state of the ship and the continued risk of polluting the surrounding environment. Article contentStill, he said the salvage effort is a monumental undertaking that is unfortunately painstakingly slow at times. Article content“The concerns we had started the day it went aground,” said English. “It’s a big operation and it takes time. Article content“The salvors have worked very well and very hard to get to where we are now and, when they get back on (the ship) and get situated, they’re going to be working back at those residual (pollutants still on the ship).” Article content
Coast guard hopes MSC Baltic IIIsalvage work can resume, despite damage
