An inspection of an MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co boxship that grounded off eastern Canada 11 days ago has discovered “significant breaches or holes” in its hull.
The Canadian Coast Guard said its crew continue to assess the condition of the 2,478-teu MSC Baltic III (built 2003) from the shore and from the air in Cedar Cove, Newfoundland.
“The vessel appears to have settled firmly on the seabed, and is stable at this time,” the coast guard added.
Tank soundings have confirmed that the vessel had about 1.7m litres of heavy fuel and marine gasoil.
No pollution has been observed.
The coast guard ship Jean Goodwill remains at the scene with spill response equipment on board, and is providing assistance as required.
Sea conditions hampered some operations over the weekend, including the ability to access the MSC Baltic III safely.
A salvage team is continuing to assess the next move.
Further tank soundings and inspections of cargo holds are planned.
Last week, the salvage team found an oily water mix in the engine room and some cargo holds.
The ship got stuck outside the entrance to Bay of Islands following a loss of power.
A “deformation” in the hull was seen last week.
TradeWinds has reported that coast guard officials are considering removing some of the containers and all of the fuel on board, before attempting to refloat the ship.
A total of 283 of the 473 containers on the MSC Baltic III are empty.
Others contain cargo such as beans, peas, wood products and vehicles or vehicle parts.
MSC has reportedly activated an arrangement with Eastern Canada Response Corp, which has booms and skimmers that can handle oil spill contamination if needed.
That company, along with coast guard crews, has set up a staging area in Lark Harbour, where the coast guard maintains a station.
TradeWinds has contacted MSC for comment.(Copyright)
