Hazardous Shipwreck on World Heritage Devon Coast

Hazardous Shipwreck on World Heritage Devon Coast

    
 
January 2007  - Oil spilling from a cargo 
vessel grounded on the Cornish coast near a World Heritage 
Site and the threat of hazardous chemicals escaping from 
containers flung into the water as heavy gales hit the broken 
ship have British Coastguard, emergency and environmental 
personnel on high alert today. 
The British-flagged container ship MSC Napoli lost power 
during a gale in the English Channel Thursday, when the engine 
room flooded more than 40 miles from the Cornish coast. 
All 26 crewmembers were lifted unharmed by Royal Navy rescue 
helicopters as they abandoned the ship in 40 foot seas and 70 
mile per hour winds. 
After the rescue operation had finished the drifting vessel 
was secured and was being towed to Portland for salvage, but 
the Maritime And Coastguard Agency, MCA, decided to beach it 
Sunday in Lyme Bay, near Sidmouth, following a serious 
structural failure. 
A Coastguard vessel tends the stricken MSC Napoli as it lists 
in heavy wather in Lyme Bay on the Cornish coast. (Photo 
courtesy Dave Mitchell) 
As the tide went out teams worked to drag the ship in as far 
as possible before attempting to secure it but gale force nine 
winds have hampered the efforts. 
The 62,000 metric ton MSC Napoli is carrying 2,323 containers, 
158 of which are classed as hazardous. The vessel was heading 
from Belgium to Portugal when it was caught in the gale. 
Anti-pollution teams are on standby although the Maritime And 
Coastguard Agency does not believe any of the containers 
containing industrial and agricultural chemicals were 
dislodged overnight. 
An Environment Group has been set up and its members include 
representatives from Devon Council, Natural World England, 
Environment Agency, Fisheries and Heath and Protection Agency 
who are presently looking at prioritizing sites of protection. 

Up to 200 metric tons of oil from the ship's ruptured fuel 
tank has leaked near an area which forms part of a World 
Heritage Site. Some sea birds have already been found covered 
in oil, said Grahame Madge of the Royal Society for the 
Protection of Birds. 
A sea bird oiled by the Napoli spill (Photo courtesy Dave 
Mitchell) 
Staff from the West Hatch RSPCA Animal Centre has been working 
to remove the oil from sea birds caught in the spill. 
The area around Lyme Bay is part of a World Heritage Site, the 
Jurassic Coast, named for its Jurassic geology. The coast of 
Lyme Bay is a popular holiday destination, and the diving off 
Lyme Bay is famous. The marine life is some of the best in 
Britain with rare corals inhabiting the reefs. 
The Environment Agency said booms have been put in place to 
prevent harm to wildlife. A Temporary Danger Area has been set 
up around the vessel extending to a range of three miles and 
2,000 feet. 
Under the Sidmouth Cliffs, area residents watch the Napoli in 
Lyme Bay. (Photo courtesy Dave Mitchell) 
Robin Middleton, Secretary of State's Representative in 
Maritime Salvage and Intervention who is leading the MCAs 
salvage response team said, "The vessel is now aground but 
tonight's storms are making her roll. A number of containers 
have been lost overboard, we think about 50." 
Middleton said that the environmental sensitivities in the 
Lyme Bay area were fully assessed before the decision to beach 
the Napoli was made. 
He said, "The beaching location was selected based on 
minimizing the impact of any spillage and enabling salvage 
work to remove the vessel and cargo to take place. The local 
authorities and environmental groups have been notified and 
all agencies are working together to ensure that pollution is 
minimized." 
The ship was towed in by the French tug Abeilles Bourbon, with 
the MCA tug Anglian Princess escorting. 
A broken container from the Napoli on the beach in Lyme Bay. 
(Photo courtesy Dave Mitchell) 
The large cracks on both sides of the ship worsened Saturday 
night. The stern of the ship is gradually settling lower in 
the water and deteriorating. 
But on Sunday, the MCA described the ship's condition as 
"stable," saying the vessel continues to have a list of 25 
degrees during high water reducing to 18 degrees during low 
water. 
The ship's owners have appointed a private security company to 
guard the beached containers. The owners have also appointed a 
contractor to corral and remove those spilled containers, and 
that contractor will mobilize to site later today and recovery 
will begin on Tuesday. 
Smit International, the contracted salvors, are mobilizing 
maritime salvage equipment from Holland to Lyme Bay. The 
salvors are planning for the recovery of the oils remaining 
onboard to begin tomorrow. 
"X" marks the approximate location of the Napoli in Lyme Bay. 
(Map courtesy CIA World Factbook) 
Salvage equipment has been now been transferred onto the 
vessel so that pumping arrangements can be configured at first 
light tomorrow morning. 
A barge was chartered in Rotterdam and is currently being 
fitted with two cranes capable of lifting 500 and 400 tons. 
Following an inspection by salvors it was confirmed today that 
the oil released from the beached vessel came from the engine 
spaces at the time of beaching and that no fresh oil has been 
spotted in the water. The sheen of used oils now extending up 
to four miles before dissipating. 
Julian Wardlaw, environment management team leader for the 
Environment Agency, told the BBC that oil lost from the tanker 
posed a "serious risk" to a sensitive coastline. Although 
there is the potential for "a lot of damage," it so far seemes 
to be limited, Wardlaw said. 
The 16 year old vessel is registered to London, and was last 
seen by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in May 2005 when 
officials said it met safety standards. 
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the 
incident.