Latest news with #BruceEnglish
CBC
07-03-2025
- General
- CBC
Still no timeline to remove grounded cargo ship near Lark Harbour
It's sustainability over speed for the MSC Baltic III cargo ship salvage mission. Nearly a month since the vessel ran aground near Lark Harbour, crews are still working to remove fuel and cargo as the ship sits on the sea floor. "Speed is not the primary goal here. Minimizing environmental impact is the primary goal," said Bruce English, the Canadian Coast Guard's senior response officer for marine environmental and hazards, on Friday. Fisheries and Oceans Canada held a technical briefing Friday morning. They were joined by officials from the coast guard, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada. Tim Kerr of Transport Canada said once pollutants are removed, crews can begin planning the potential refloating of the vessel. "At this point we can't say with any certainty, you know, when or whether the vessel will be refloated," said Kerr. When asked by reporters how much the recovery operation will cost, English said that's not a point of focus right now. "It is hard to determine the time frame at this point, but for an operation this size and scale, you can imagine it will be lengthy," he said. English says Canada follows the "polluter pays" principle, which means the vessel's owners will have to foot the bill related to the clean up and address hazards posed by their problem vessel. The company that owns the ship, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, hired TNT Salvage and the Eastern Canada Response Corporation to assess damage and clean up the mess. The cargo aboard the ship contains materials classified as dangerous goods, including fabrics, food products, metals and polymeric beads. There is no immediate threat to human health, but they could cause environmental damage. The ship's cranes still work and may aid the removal of cargo, and an approval to fix a road leading to the area of the ship is forthcoming, English said. Over 1,700 metric tonnes of fuel and marine gas remains on board. The emergency and drone restriction zone in Cedar Cove has been reduced to one nautical mile, but the public is still asked to respect the boundary.
CBC
21-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Cracks, leaks found in cargo ship that ran aground near Lark Harbour
Crews continue to work around the weather as they assess and attempt to recover a cargo ship that ran aground last weekend near Lark Harbour, N.L. The ship — and its crew of 20, which were rescued — lost power at sea and found itself aground in Cedar Cove on Newfoundland's west coast. On Friday, Bruce English, senior response officer with the Marine Environmental and Hazards section of the Canadian Coast Guard, said a leak was found in the MSC Baltic III. "It's been a painful week waiting for information," said English. Winds have clocked over 100 kilometres per hour in Lark Harbour Friday, but crews were still able to get aboard the stuck vessel. Damage has been found on the bottom and the hull, said English, and there is "an oily water mixture" in the engine room and water in some cargo holds. Texas-based company T&T Salvage is on site and is weighing the options for the ship's removal. Safety of crews is one of the top priorities for the coast guard at the moment, said English. "We successfully removed 20 people without anyone getting hurt during the storm," he said. "We don't want to hurt anybody or injure them [by] putting them on." An emergency zone has been designated in the water, air and on the land in the area of the grounded ship. The coast guard is asking people not to let their curiosity get the better of them as operations continue. They are urging everyone to stay away from the area. Drones are not allowed to be flown in the area, as a coast guard helicopter has been making daily flights over the vessel. "Everyone is curious," said English. "If it was in my backyard, I'd want to know, too. But we ask that people stay back from the area."
CBC
18-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
High winds and rough seas stall bid to salvage ship grounded off western Newfoundland
Rough weather on Tuesday forced salvage specialists to abandon their inspection of a cargo ship that ran aground in a rocky cove along Newfoundland's west coast over the weekend. Bruce English, senior response officer with the Marine Environmental and Hazards section of the Canadian Coast Guard, told CBC News that Texas-based T&T Salvage has been tasked with drafting a plan to get the MSC Baltic III off the rocks at the edge of Cedar Cove, near Lark Harbour. The ship had a crew of 20 aboard when it lost power in heavy seas, drifted outside the entrance to Bay of Islands and then ran aground. "Early [Tuesday] morning, 9:30 or something, they made an attempt to get on board again and they couldn't. There was three-metre seas and 30 knots of winds," English told CBC Radio's The Broadcast. "They had another attempt to get on board, and the conditions are just as bad, if not worse, than what they were before." Despite powerful gusts, the crew aboard a Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopter safely airlifted everyone from the vessel on Saturday. English said there was no sign of any fuel or oil spilling from the vessel as of Tuesday afternoon. The four-person team from T&T Salvage will assess the damage in the coming days, English said, and present a plan to the coast guard and Transport Canada about how to get the boat out of Cedar Cove safely. The CCGS Ann Harvey is on site as part of the effort, and English said the CCGS Jean Goodwill will also join on Wednesday. The weather hasn't provided suitable conditions for on the water operations. English said that means a timeline around the work is still unknown.
