Hazardous Cargo Secured From Ship Grounded on Canada’s East Coast

(Bloomberg) — The hazardous cargo and fuel on a ship that ran aground in Canada last month has been contained, according to the company that manages the vessel. 

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. has also hired a salvage company and a marine oil spill response service for the container ship MSC Baltic III, though no pollution has been found, a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.

“We have secured the hazardous containers still on board to avoid any risk of marine pollution and have a plan for their removal,” MSC said.

Canada’s Coast Guard said the ship was carrying some materials listed as dangerous goods when it ran aground off Newfoundland and suffered significant structural breaches. Those materials included 1.7 million liters, or just over 10,000 barrels, of heavy fuel oil and diesel as propellant. Other cargo included fabrics, food products, metals and polymeric beads.   

The stranding occurred on Feb. 15 during bad weather in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, west of Lark Harbour, after the vessel reported a loss of power. The rescue operation was hampered by treacherous conditions at sea, and in its current condition the ship can’t be refloated, the Coast Guard said Thursday.

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