On 15 February 2025 the containership Baltic III ran aground off the west coast of Newfoundland during a severe storm. The vessel encountered mechanical difficulties and lost power, becoming ‘dead in the water’, and was driven into Cedar Cove, a remote and rocky location near Lark Harbour.

 

All 20 seafarers onboard were safely evacuated by a Cormorant search and rescue helicopter but the vessel was left against a 1,000ft cliff, in a very remote location, facing extreme weather and ice conditions. Over the following year the vessel suffered severe damage, with a large hole in its port side, and has been in danger of breaking up amidships.

 

The first phase

It was clear from the outset that salvage was going to be a difficult and complex operation. The shipowner, MSC, and its insurers appointed T&T Marine Salvage to lead the first phase of operations. During this period of work around 1,700m³ of fuel oil was removed from Baltic III, with around 20tonnes of residual fuel and contaminated water still onboard. Additionally, 409 of the 472 containers onboard were taken off the ship, including some containing dangerous goods, leaving 63 remaining. 

Baltic III’s precarious position in Cedar Cove next to a 1,000ft cliff makes salvage operations difficult (image: Canadian Coast Guard)

 

The salvage team needed to construct a road to the site to get some equipment alongside and a cableway was erected with a basket underneath to transport the salvage crew back and forth.

 

Thankfully, no bunker oil was released during the incident and any tar balls were collected as they were encountered. Nonetheless, the presence of the vessel poses a serious potential environmental hazard and the delay in removing the vessel has attracted some local concern and criticism.

 

However, as Bruce English, senior response officer, Canadian Coast Guard, who has been supervising the Canadian government’s response to the operation, observes: “We did not want a rush job, but the right job.”

 

Dive surveys confirmed that the structural condition of the vessel made a simple refloat impossible. The structural deterioration of the vessel has continued, presenting significant engineering challenges.

 

According to English, “While the vessel is currently stable, it is in poor condition. There is significant damage to the hull, including a crack in the port side and buckling on the starboard side. There is also a worsening crack on the deck of the vessel.

 

“Operations are expected to continue for some time. Speed is not the primary goal. Our focus remains on ensuring the safety of Canadians and responders while minimising impact to the environment.”

 

In early May this year the Coast Guard confirmed that the operation was now moving into the wreck removal phase, following the award of a contract by MSC to experienced Florida-based salvors Resolve Marine for the completion of the remaining salvage work and the removal of the wreck from Cedar Cove.

Transporting the salvage crew to and from the stricken vessel (image: Canadian Coast Guard)

 

The Coast Guard’s role in the process is to review the proposed wreck removal plan to ensure that it is “reasonable and appropriate” to protect public safety and the marine environment. English points out that Canada follows the ‘polluter pays’ principle where vessel owners are responsible for the cost of addressing any pollution or hazards posed by their vessel and this includes any costs relating to cleanup.

 

Breaking up is hard to do

Resolve Marine will now embark on initial preparatory work, following a full onboard assessment and environmental investigation. It will weld rigging points to the vessel and separate the hull at the mid-section point where the break is occurring. It will then remove the remaining containers, using a crane barge that will be deployed on site.

 

Resolve Marine proposes to use chain pullers to pull the bow section to a nearby beach. This will be followed by scrapping work, involving cutting the topside in dry conditions, as well as removal of the residual fuel and tank cleaning. The bow section will be pulled forward to the beach in stages.

 

All topside steel that can be reached in the initial stage will be cut and removed. The section will then be pulled forward again and the process repeated, until completion. The steel will be cut into 10tonne segments, which will then be transported to a local facility, Newco Metal & Auto Recycling, for recycling.

 

In parallel, preparations for the stern removal will be carried out, with the goal of clearing it from the rocks. Resolve Marine plans to cut forward of the engine room and then remove the accommodation block. The middle section, weighing around 2,000tonnes, will be pulled to the beach for cutting, removal and recycling, while the 3,000tonne stern section will be rotated clear from the rocks and removed to shore. This may involve cutting the stern section into two, depending on the conditions encountered during the work.

 

Better access

The expectation is that having built an access road to the beach, Resolve Marine will be able to start moving the rest of the cargo ashore this summer. It then aims to pull the bow to shore using the chain pullers, and to remove the remaining fuel oil.

 

The timeline for the potential completion of all scrapping operations is some time in 2027, with Resolve Marine committing to undertake as much work as possible before the end of 2026.

Alternatives to the chain-puller-based solution, including the removal of the vessel by sea, were considered. However, they were ultimately rejected because of the weather conditions and marine challenges at this location.

 

Why the delays?

While there is great relief that after more than a year there is at last a plan for the wreck’s removal, some are questioning whether the process could have been quicker. There are also concerns about what seems to be a lack of urgency and transparency in investigating the cause of the accident, thereby allowing lessons to be learned and remedial actions taken.

 

John Dalziel MRINA is a naval architect and an adjunct professor in industrial engineering, with more than half a century of marine industry experience, most of it in eastern Canada, including Newfoundland. He has raised a number of issues with the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) regarding this incident.

 

In particular, he says: “I am somewhat perplexed as to why the TSB has decided not to investigate this incident, whereas it has investigated other foreign flag ship incidents in Canadian waters, including two previous MSC vessels. We don’t know the timeline from vessel blackout till its grounding nor whether TSB or Transport Canada are aware of the cause of the blackout.”

Baltic III is now in poor condition with significant damage to the hull (image: Canadian Coast Guard)

 

He points out that from visual images the ship’s anchors do not appear to have been deployed, which raises questions over how the crew responded to the emergency.

 

Professor Dalziel also questions whether Baltic III could have been floated off the beach at an earlier stage, prior to breaking up.

 

“As the stern of the ship remained in deep water, perhaps a couple of powerful salvage tugs or offshore supply vessels could have been used to tow it off the beach, floating on its tank tops if bottom damage was encountered. I would certainly welcome the TSB, or other federal agency, investigating the handling of the salvage efforts, considering that the ship has now been on the beach for more than 14 months, including over a Newfoundland winter.”

 

A weather eye

At this stage the TSB appears to be taking a watching brief. A spokesman says: “In line with the Casualty Investigation Code, the flag state of the ship has a duty to conduct an investigation into any very serious marine casualty occurring to any of its ships. Therefore, Liberia, as the flag State of Baltic III, is leading the investigation into the grounding and TSB is representing Canada as a substantially interested state.”

 

The case of the grounding of Baltic III, and its subsequent salvage, certainly raises a number of interesting and important technical and safety-related issues. While the immediate priority has to be its removal, in what will clearly be a challenging operation, hopefully in time the full circumstances of the incident, and the decisions surrounding its salvage, will be aired in a thorough and transparent manner.

 

This article appeared in Salvage operations, TNA May/June 2026.