The container ship went into blackout and did not have time to use the anchor. The 20 crew members were saved by the Coast Guard in a very complex operation

The container ship MSC Baltic III, flying the Liberian flag, ran aground near Lark Harbor, on the west coast of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The accident occurred last Saturday morning during a strong storm, and the rescue operations of the seafarers on board were successfully completed a few hours later.

The rescue operation

The Canadian Coast Guard said that the resources necessary for the rescue operation were immediately organized, while the shore teams involved began their investigations after it ran aground on the rocks. Currently, the ongoing efforts are conducted in coordination with the shipping company MSC and a company hired to carry out its surveys after the crew was rescued.

The ship went into a blackout

From what we understand, the container ship went into a blackout and did not have the time and distance to use the anchor to prevent the ship from turning.

The snowstorm, almost a blizzard, hindered the work of the rescue teams so much so that one of the helicopter pilots declared to the media that on this occasion, he had conducted one of the most difficult and demanding maneuvers of his career. Twenty crew members were hoisted from the cargo ship; of these, four crew members required medical attention, but were stable when brought to shore.

A two-mile emergency zone

A two-mile emergency zone has been established around the vessel by the Canadian Coast Guard, which said it was establishing a staging area near where the vessel ran aground. The icebreaker CCGS Henry Larsen, present during the rescue, will remain in Corner Brook to facilitate operations, while the CCGS Jean Goodwill, after having loaded the equipment in Scotland, is en route to the location of the MSC Blatic III.

A third vessel, the CCGS Ann Harvey, was on SAR patrol in the area, and a container ship, the MSC Carmen, was also showing from its AIS signal that it had approached the area of ​​the grounding.

The MSC Baltic III 

The MSC Baltic III has a capacity of 2,478 TEUs but, but according to reports from the Dolphin Maritime & Aviation Services agency, it should have around 400 containers on board in the hold and on deck. According to Coast Guard monitoring, there are currently no risks from the point of view of environmental pollution. The weather conditions seemed to have improved, even if the air temperature remained below zero and the snowfall continued; an improvement in the weather is expected for tomorrow. Meanwhile, the teams are studying the best type of approach to refloat the ship.

The current position of MSC BALTIC III is in the North West Atlantic Ocean, reported 4 days ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to the port of Corner Brook, Canada, sailing at a speed of 5.1 knots and expected to arrive there on Feb 10, 11:30. The vessel MSC BALTIC III (IMO 9241475, MMSI 636021252) is a Container Ship built in 2003 (22 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Liberia.

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 MSC Baltic III , attempting rescue , aground in Canada , Liberian flag , Canadian island , emergency zone , equipment in Scotland