Amidst bad weather conditions, the Canadian Coast Guard was assessing today how to refloat the MSC Baltic lll containership that ran aground last Saturday after reportedly losing power in Wild Cove, west of Lark Harbour. All crew members were safely airlifted from the ship by a Cormorant helicopter. The vessel was bound for Corner Brook from Montreal.
“We continue to work closely with our partners,” the Canadian Coast Guard said on social media. “With the crew rescued, the incident response focuses on marine environmental hazards. A Marine Environmental Hazards Response team will be working closely with the operator. The CCGS Henry Larsen remains in the area, and mobilization is underway with crews and equipment enroute.”
An emergency zone (2 nautical miles) has been established around the incident area to facilitate operations and support marine safety, the CCG said on Sunday. “Additional crews and equipment are en route. The CCGS Jean Goodwill will transit to the site from Canso, Nova Scotia, as weather permits.”
Bruce English, a senior response officer with the Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental and Hazardous Response team, told Canadian Press Sunday that “protecting the marine environment is our biggest concern.” The officer said that as of Sunday there are no signs of an oil spill.
It was early on Saturday morning that the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre in nearby Channel-Port aux Basques received a mayday message from the MSC Baltic when it was about 12 nautical miles away from the entrance to the Bay of Islands.
(Canadian Coast Guard photo)