Rescuing crew of ship run aground in Lark Harbour 'one of the most challenging things I've done', pilot says

The successful rescue of 20 people aboard a cargo vessel run aground in Lark Harbour, N.L., resulted in a happy ending Sunday, but one of the helicopter's pilots says it didn't come easy.

Early Saturday morning, the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre in nearby Channel-Port aux Basques received a mayday from the MSC Baltic III about 22 kilometres off the entrance to the Bay of Islands.

At that time, the ship reported a loss of power. The cause of the outage isn't known.

Royal Canadian Air Force Capt. Matthew Cox of the 103 Search and Rescue Squadron, based in Gander, was one of the pilots who flew the rescue helicopter.

He told CBC News that crews knew hoisting the 20 men would be a challenge — especially when you add a snowstorm and blizzard-like conditions into the mix.

"The crew and myself had to blend a lot of the procedures that we have to try and find the best solution because of where the vessel was, where the helicopter had to hoist," Cox said Monday.

"As the flying pilot on the right side of the cockpit … I had to trim the helicopter out and basically hand fly it from start to finish, which is probably one of the most challenging things I've done as a pilot."

Luckily, Cox said each crew member was able to be hoisted safely. Four men were in need of medical assistance but stable, he said.

"It was pretty special to see fathers and brothers just able to go back to their families, which is pretty awesome," Cox said.

Melanie Joyce watched the rescue from the shore. She said it felt like something out of a movie.

"The wind … you could barely stand up," Joyce told CBC News Sunday.

"They sent down, I think it was four men, and shortly after they start airlifting the men off.... It was pretty amazing to see."

WATCH | It was a race against time to lift passengers off the rocking vessel: 

What does it take to rescue 20 crew from a stranded cargo ship?

3 days ago

Duration 1:43

Capt. Matthew Cox says the videos don’t do it justice. The aircraft commander helped hoist sailors from a stranded cargo vessel in Cedar Cove on Newfoundland’s west coast Saturday. The Royal Canadian Air Force team knew it was going to be a challenging rescue, but Cox says the mission had him drawing on all of his prior training.

Windy conditions could also play a factor in cleanup efforts.

Lark Harbour and much of Newfoundland's west coast remain under a wind warning on Monday. Winds are expected to reach around 60 km/h, but could gust to 120 km/h in areas prone to enhanced easterly winds.

The vessel was scheduled to arrive into Corner Brook, but Port of Corner Brook business development manager Jennifer Crane said weather likely played a factor in its ability to do so.

"It all depends on the water conditions. I mean, there's a lot of variables that come into play," Crane said.

Bruce English, part of the Canadian Coast Guard's Marine Environmental and Hazards Response team, said Sunday that options for removing the ship are still under consideration.

"Once the crew is removed and the safety of life is handled, our biggest concern is with the environment. The vessel's propulsion fuel is diesel, marine diesel, and it's against the shoreline there now," he said Sunday.

English said there aren't signs of contaminate in the water as of Sunday.

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