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Container ship Napoli to be beached due to cracks
• Salvagers find 3 metre wide crack in hull after refloating
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By
Lady Tek-ee , Contributing Editor
Thursday,
12 July, 2007
The vessel was floated on Monday so divers could evaluate the extent of the damage caused when the crew deliberately ran the vessel aground off Branscombe off the Cornish coast in January 2007 during a storm.
She had become holed in January during storms, an event that triggered a seaside looting spree when cargo containers washed up on shore. Looters from miles around made off with items ranging from BMW motorcycles to dog food to disposable nappies.
The 62,000-ton vessel floated free a mile off Sidmouth after 58,000 tons of water was pumped from her holds. More than 2,000 containers and 3,000 tons of fuel oil had earlier been removed. The ship was originally grounded in January after being damaged in storms.
Toby Stone, a spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said on 12 July that divers had found the damage was much worse than anticipated and the Napoli was cracked right around the hull, with the crack being some 3 metres wide in places.
"We had been hopeful after she was successfully refloated on Monday, but the crack is all the way around the vessel," said Mark Clark, for the MCA. The ship was "nearly in two halves" and drifting towards a new position about half a mile off shore. Pumps will now fill her with water to stabilise her once again as she settles on the sea floor.
He said it would then be the responsibility of the owners, Zodiac Maritime to dispose of her in consultation with the authorities. Mr Stone said: "What has happened is unfortunate but it is just one of those things. We now have 20,000 tons of metal we have to get rid of."
It had been hoped that MSC Napoli could have been towed somewhere else for dismantling, such as Norway. It now seems likely that the vessel will now be dismantled where she is beached. Options include floating the bow off, lifting the stern section or cutting her up where she lies.
The salvage operation has so far cost in the region of £50m.
The Naked Reader 2007
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