The salvage operation at Lark Harbour is getting bigger in scope and more complicated, and it’s possible that the timeline in removing the grounded Baltic III cargo ship could extend into years.
The Coast Guard’s Bruce English says an inspection of the hull shows extensive cracks and holes, but the 1.7 million litres of heavy fuel and gas remains contained within the vessel.
The focus now is on removing that fuel from the vessel, and that means much of the cargo on board has to be removed first.
T&T Salvage is involved in the salvage operation.
English says discussions currently underway involve, among other things, road access to the site.
Photo via Canadian Coast Guard
“There is an existing road that goes out there to a couple of different locations, but it wouldn’t be enough to get tractor trailers out there,” so a proposal is being developed to address that. In terms of sea-side access, that comes at the mercy of the ocean conditions. There is a “whole crew” of salvagers on board the vessel today.
Once the fuel is removed, the focus will shift to removal of the vessel, but because of the damage to the hull, floating the ship is unlikely.
English says that could mean the vessel might have to be dismantled, a process that could take an extended period of time. A couple of staging areas have been set up as the operation continues. He says they’re consulting now with local harvesters who may be affected by the increased activity.
Submitted photo
Right now there are no fishing boats in Little Port says English, but “we understand there are a lot of them fishing out of that area…” and they’re looking at the possibility of setting up an alternate staging area.
