Cleanup efforts continue in Lark Harbour where the cargo vessel the Baltic III ran aground back in February.
The Coast Guard is overseeing salvage operations which are being undertaken by T&T, a private company hired by the vessel’s owner.
The transfer of shipping containers from the deck of the Baltic III (Canadian Coast Guard)
The Coast Guard’s Bruce English says the company has removed 407 containers from the vessel to-date with 65 still below deck, surrounded by water in the hold of the ship.
The Baltic III grounded near Lark Harbour with a boom and barge alongside (Canadian Coast Guard)
English says all of 1,700 cubic metres of bulk oil and various types of fuel and hydrocarbons have been removed from the vessel and the environment, and four of six tanks that contained the “heaviest and dirtiest of the fuel” have been flushed.
He says winterizing the vessel is now a priority with winter fast approaching, and a cableway system connecting the ship and the land has been constructed.
Installation of the cableway system for the Baltic III salvage effort (Canadian Coast Guard)
He says the cableway will allow for unlimited access to the vessel throughout the winter months to check out the vessel and carry out other on-board activities.
There is no immediate word on whether the vessel will be able to be removed, or will have to be broken up on site. That’s a decision that will come after the remaining cargo and other items are removed.
Part of a new cable system installed to help carry items and people on and off the vessel (Canadian Coast Guard)
