Marine salvors have commenced the deconstruction of an MSC boxship that grounded off eastern Canada in February 2025.
Harsh Atlantic weather continues to plague the grueling salvage of the 2,478-teu MSC Baltic III (built 2003) at Cedar Cove, Newfoundland, according to updates on Monday, June 29.
“The contractor has now entered the deconstruction phase of the MSC Baltic III wreck removal operation and there is a significant increase in the work and presence on site,” the Canadian Coast Guard said.
Crews are constructing a new access road to the beach area while executing major upgrades to the existing route leading into Cedar Cove. This improved infrastructure, paired with recent favorable weather, has granted the wreck removal team significantly greater access to the stranded vessel.
“The crew has begun vessel deconstruction, removing and transporting material from the wreck,” the coastguard said. A specialized barge is currently stationed on-site to support these ongoing operations.
Coast Guard crews are continuously monitoring the feeder vessel through regular drone overflights, on-water surveys, and direct boarding assessments. The ship’s structural condition remains stable, with no significant changes reported.
“Daily shoreline monitoring continues when it is safe to do so. We continue to see limited quantities of tar ball and oiled debris. It is cleaned and removed as found,” the coastguard added.
“We ask for the public’s continued cooperation throughout the wreck removal phase and to use caution if in the area.”
A powerful salvage coalition is tackling the wrecked MSC Baltic III. Florida’s Resolve Marine assumed control of the operation in May, relieving previous contractor T&T Salvage and enlisting subcontractors JCL Investments and Newco Metals to accelerate the teardown. The task is monumental: the ship’s stern is stuck on the seabed, its hull buckled continuously through May, and a massive rock is protruding straight through the engine room.
Environmental teams have successfully cleared the vast majority of pollutants from the ship, keeping a close eye on the area after tennis-ball-sized oil debris surfaced last April.
Salvors will now dismantle the vessel piece by piece, dragging sections to the beach, clearing out the remaining fuel tanks, and hauling the metal away for recycling. The massive undertaking is scheduled to wrap up by next summer.
Records show that out of 472 containers on board during the grounding, 283 were completely empty.
