Photos: Dismantling of MSC Baltic III Wreck Has Begun
In its latest update on the salvage efforts for the wreck of the containership MSC Baltic III, the Canadian Coast Guard highlights the dismantling of the vessel has begun. It reports that work at the remote site on the coast of Newfoundland is accelerating and advises the public to remain clear due to the level of work now underway ahead of the efforts to pull the first section of the vessel ashore.
The pace of work has increased since Resolve Marine was appointed this spring to focus on the second phase of the effort, which is the removal and remediation at the wreck site. They are also racing the weather, attempting to get as much of the salvage completed as possible in the summer season.
The teams have begun the dismantling of the accommodation block on the vessel. In one photo, a piece is shown being lifted from the ship. Another picture shows the top portion of the funnel, with the MSC logo, sitting on a barge. The accommodation block will be removed from the hull, and the sections are being taken to a nearby facility for recycling.
Salvage efforts are accelerating with a section of the funnel and MSC logo visible on the barge (Canadian Coast Guard)
All the containers have also now been removed from the vessel. Most had been taken off in 2025, with the remaining boxes mostly waterlogged in the holds or deformed. According to the Canadian Coast Guard, 471 of the 472 cargo containers onboard the MSC Baltic III have been removed, with the final one too badly deformed. The Coast Guard told the local newspaper, The Telegram, that the last container is loaded down with waterlogged newsprint. It will remain on the ship and be addressed during the dismantling process.
With the cargo cleared, they expect the levels of hydrogen sulfide aboard the vessel to also begin to decline. The containers in the hold had included rotting foodstuffs, which were creating the noxious gases. The salvage crew was taking precautions while working aboard the vessel.
The salvage team has also installed a water treatment system. Testing is underway, and it will be used to drain and treat the water that has accumulated in the cargo holds. The teams had already removed the hatch covers from the holds.
All the containers except one have been removed along with the hatch cover and other deck equipment before they split the vessel and haul the forward section on shore using chain pulls (Canadian Coast Guard)
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
In the next phase, the salvage team will split the vessel into two sections. It had already broken near the midship, and the plan calls for separating the bow section near the current break. The forward section will then be pulled ashore using large chain pulls. They will conduct further remediation and dismantle the forward portion of the ship into sections that can be trucked away for recycling. The Coast Guard told The Telegram the goal is to bring the forward section of the vessel ashore by the end of July.
The Canadian Coast Guard continues its monitoring of the efforts being undertaken by Resolve. MSC and its insurers retained Resolve this year for the removal of the ship. The goal is to get a large portion of the work completed before the winter weather overtakes the region. The final remediations may continue into 2027.
