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Or sign-in if you have an account.The process of dismantling the MSC Baltic III, grounded in Cedar Cove in western Newfoundland since February 2025, is well under way and on pace to see the ship pulled ashore in sections by mid-summer. Photo by Canadian Coast GuardAfter being away from the site for about a week, Bruce English was astonished at the latest progress being made towards the demolition of the MSC Baltic III shipwreck in western Newfoundland.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe 20,000-tonne cargo ship has been grounded in an inlet called Cedar Cove since a vicious snowstorm and daring helicopter rescue of all 20 crew on Feb. 15, 2025.The vessel had lost power during the storm while trying to make port in nearby Corner Brook.After one salvage crew hired by the ship’s owners, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, spent more than a year removing potential pollutants, another salvage company — Resolve Marine Group Inc. — was hired in the spring of 2026 to remove the ship itself.Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againResolve Marine’s plan is to construct a road down to the beach at Cedar Cove and to haul sections of the ship onto a concrete pad, where they will be broken down and trucked away in pieces. This view shows the newly constructed road leading down to the beach in front of the grounded MSC Baltic III in Cedar Cove in western Newfoundland. Photo by Canadian Coast GuardBefore that happens, materials from the ship itself would be removed to streamline the work on the beach.All of that work has been happening in earnest throughout the spring. English, senior response officer with the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Environment and Hazards Response Section, has been monitoring the operations.He was recently away from the area for about a week and returned on Thursday, June 18.“The amount of work they got done since last Monday is amazing,” English said in an interview.The road being constructed is nearly done, with some reinforcement work happening at certain points along the route. The switchback leading down to the beach is complete.The only main component of the road left is constructing the plate on which the ship sections will be cut up. English said the contractor is going to wait until it begins hauling the first section of the bow up towards the beach before deciding exactly where the pad should be situated.“When they start to pull it, they’re not sure if it’ll come straight ahead or a little bit to the side,” explained English. “So, once they come in with the bow, they’ll determine where the pad is going to be, and they’ll construct it.” The tug Beverly M and the barge MN Newfoundland have been removing materials, including cargo containers, from the MSC Baltic III in anticipation of the stricken ship being dismantled. Photo by Canadian Coast GuardIn the meantime, the ship itself is being lightened in anticipation of it getting cut up.A tug and barge have been busy removing some of the containers still below deck.There were initially 472 containers on the ship when it became grounded and the original salvage crew managed to remove 409 of those.The containers still aboard the MSC Baltic III were deemed too damaged or too soaked with water to be easily removed.So far, Resolve Marine has managed to remove 23 of the remaining 63 containers. Those have been moved to the barge and shipped to a recycler, Newco Metal and Auto Recycling Ltd. in nearby Stephenville, for processing.The barge being used has a footboard installed around its perimeter to contain any spillage from the damaged, wet containers.English said the new salvage crew is about 40 strong and is working 24-hours a day when conditions permit.In addition to the containers, the crew has begun removing items such as mattresses and other materials from the accommodations section of the ship’s wheelhouse.The plan, according to Resolve Marine, is to remove the wheelhouse completely before hauling the stern section up to the beach to be cut up.The salvagers have also removed a dozen or so heavy hatch covers, which English estimated weigh around 30 tonnes apiece.“It’s a significant amount of weight, but they’re removing stuff as they can and getting that ready to be dismantled,” he said. The bluff above Cedar Cove beach has been transformed for the installation of heavy chain pullers that will be used to bring sections of the wrecked MSC Baltic III ashore. Photo by Canadian Coast GuardBack on the beach, Resolve Marine has configured and anchored down a dozen heavy-duty chain pullers that will be used to bring the massive ship sections ashore.At a press conference in early May, Resolve Marine said it hoped to have most of the cargo removed and the bow section pulled ashore by mid-summer.English said he has been informed by the company that operations are on schedule for that.Depending on the weather and how other aspects of the operation go, the company expects to remove the residual fuel still in the bow by mid to late summer and commence scrapping the stern section this year.“We are trying to get as much done as we can in the 2026 season, but there’s a good chance that scrapping operations and final site restoration will occur in the summer of ‘27,” Todd Schauer, Resolve Marine’s team leader for the project, said during the briefing.When the MSC Baltic III wrecked, it contained nearly 1,700 tonnes of fuels, oils and other hydrocarbons. Most of that was removed by the former salvage company, but some residual heavy oils and fuels remained in tanks throughout the ship.Resolve Marine plans to remove those substances once the sections have been pulled up onto the beach.Once the ship begins to be cut into sections, English said ongoing scans of the shoreline and water will continue. There has still been no sign of any significant pollution from the MSC Baltic III, other than some small tar balls and staining of rocks that have all been cleaned up as they are found.There has also been some debris, such as water bottles and items belonging to the salvage crew, that has been washed overboard by occasionally heavy seas and collected when found. Crews from the Canadian Coast Guard, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Resolve Marine will continue to monitor the Cedar Cove shoreline for signs of pollution from the grounded MSC Baltic III cargo ship. Photo by Canadian Coast GuardThere have been some concerns raised about the effect heavy trucks might have on local roads once they begin hauling ship sections overland to the recycler in Stephenville.While that is not within the scope of his work to monitor the impact of the shipwreck on the marine environment, English doesn’t think the trucks associated with the salvage will be any worse than those used for major wharf and breakwater infrastructure work in the outer Bay of Islands region recently.“I don’t think it’s going to do any more damage than any other truck that’s coming back and forth here,” he said.English noted the general public can expect to see more restricted access to the beach area once the process of pulling the ship ashore commences, given the dangers associated with the chain pullers.“That’s going to be the most dangerous part – when they start chopping it and pulling it ahead,” he said.Sign up here for our morning newsletter, our breaking news and our new Telegram This Week newsletters to get more in-depth coverage of the stories that matter most in Newfoundland and Labrador, right in your inbox. 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