Two heavy cyclones in the South Pacific have forced the separate sections of the grounded boxship Kea Trader together.
The 2,194-teu vessel (built 2017) got stuck on a rock reef off New Caledonia last July.
It later broke in two, and its condition has now further deteriorated, owner Lomar Shipping said.
Precautionary measures were put in place on site to minimise the impact of the incoming storms, while all personnel and vessels were brought to safe shelter in Noumea.
"The force of the cyclone resulted in the escape of some limited oil deposits and soiled materials from inaccessible areas of the vessel, with tar balls and other material subsequently collected from beaches on the island of Mare," Lomar said.
Fully trained contractors have been alerted to collect any materials that come ashore.
"Initial aerial inspections found the wreck had shifted – with the two hull sections (that had fractured into two last November) colliding to cause damage to the forward section," Lomar said.
Hold destroyed
"Hold 3 disintegrated in the extreme sea conditions that were whipped up by violent winds. This hold had been cleaned although four stored empty containers were lost. Hold 2 was also breached, with an estimated 25 empty containers and some residual debris lost to the elements."
The aft part was also affected, with two hatch covers and some 17 metres of vertical hull sides detached from a cargo hold previously cleared of containers and other materials.
These structures were located adjacent to the vessel on the floor of the rock reef.
A single container was discovered floating near the site, with sea-going assets sent to recover it.
So far in 2018, 12 more boxes have been recovered from holds.
Now just 84 of the original 782 are left.
Furniture and electronic equipment were removed from accommodation areas, with the dismantling of partitions and false ceilings completed on the bridge and upper levels. Attention has switched to lower levels of the accommodation block.
