Contractor overseeing cleanup of Newfoundland shipwreck says operation won’t be finished until 2027

The cargo ship MSC Baltic III is shown grounded in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Fisheries and Oceans Canada

ST. JOHN’S – A contractor overseeing the cleanup of a battered shipwreck in Newfoundland says the complex operation is not likely to finish until 2027.

Resolve Marine, an American salvage company, has been hired by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to clean up the shipping giant’s Baltic III vessel, which ran aground near Lark Harbour, N.L., in February 2025.

The contractor plans to cut the vessel into pieces before hauling sections onto a newly constructed scrapping pad in Cedar Cove, where the boat ran during poor weather. Road access to the wreck will need to be upgraded to allow for tractor trailers and other industrial vehicles to move in and out of the worksite.

“There’s no elements that Resolve hasn’t done before, it’s just we’re operating in a difficult environment,” said Todd Schauer, project director with the company. “We have a shortened summer season, we have limited working weather, we have both a marine operation and a shoreside operation.”

Schauer said the company concluded, to mitigate potential spills and damage to the environment, that fuel, cargo and other potential contaminants should be scrapped on land, rather than near the vessel.

That necessitated expanding the access road to the wreck site and blasting at a nearby quarry to produce enough fill to build the road.

“We were really trying to minimize the amount of material that we needed,” Schauer said. “There were other plans that involved building roads all the way out to the ship, or around the ship, which would be a massive amount of material.”

Work to expand and upgrade the road will begin early in May.

The contractors also hope to cut the bow free from the rest of the vessel and haul it onto land this summer. They’ll use large chains, weld them onto the bow, then pull the chains from shore.

There is still some residual fuelon board the vessel, according to Bruce English, who is helping to lead the Canadian Coast Guard’s response to the shipwreck, along with 63 cargo containers.

Cedar Cove is a popular hiking and recreation area; Schauer said his company aims to remove the road and scrapping pad, then restore the area to its near original state by the end of the project — although that likely won’t happen until 2027.

“We don’t want to prioritize rushing over safety and protection of the environment,” said Schauer. “We think it’s a pretty, conservative schedule, and we look forward to possibly advancing it.”

The cargo ship has been battered by waves and stormy weather since it ran aground in 2025. English says the vessel is “currently stable,” but in “poor condition,” and a crack on the deck of the ship is getting worse.

A spokesperson for the coast guard said Monday that MSC will be on the hook for clean-up costs.

“Speed is not the primary goal here,” added English. “Our focus remains on ensuring the safety of Canadians and responders while minimizing impact to the environment.”