A total of 373 out of 756 boxes have been removed from the grounded Lomar Shipping boxship Kea Trader off New Caledonia.
The 2,194-teu ship (built 2017) got stuck on a reef off New Caledonia on 12 July.
Lomar said "substantial progress" has been made to remove containers, using a specialist Sikorsky Skycrane heavy-lift helicopter.
"Adverse winter swells had generally prevented vessels from coming alongside to receive containers from the ship’s own gear," the shipowner said.
But the number of discharged containers increased by 46 on Tuesday and 24 on Wednesday, as lighter swells allowed them to be moved from the vessel by using both the Skycrane and the ship’s own gear and a barge.
Teams from salvor Ardent have been making preparations on board as they prepare for a re-floating of the vessel.
Divers have worked on side ballast tanks and tank tops.
"The precise extent of damage will only become clear once Kea Trader has been re-floated, although it is expected to be considerable," the company said.
A spokesman for Lomar said: “The Skycrane helicopter has overcome the challenge of moving containers in heavy winter seas. This progress means our recovery team has now removed most containers from above deck and will now focus on the next stage of the re-floating plan.”
