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Napoli stays put - more explosives used
• Questions raised about ship's chequered history
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By
Miss Tek-EE, contributing editor
Wednesday,
18 July, 2007
Explosives will be used for a second time on the MS Napoli, the freight ship grounded off the south coast of Devon after attempts last night to use tugboats to pull it apart failed.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency detonated precision explosives yesterday to split the deck of the MSC Napoli, the container vessel that has been beached off Devon's Jurassic Coast near Sidmouth since January. Tugboats then tried to finish the job at high tide, but were unsuccessful.
Explosives are set to be detonated at around 2pm today as salvagers take another crack at dislodging the Napoli.
They are trying to separate the front two-thirds of the ship, which are floating, from the rear third, which is stuck on a seabed. The Napoli is being held together by its deck plates only.
Greenpeace criticise timing of explosions
The Jurassic Coast area is a world heritage site due to its prehistoric cliffs. Greenpeace warned that the explosives could cause leftover oil to escape into the sea, causing damage, but accepted that the MCA had little other choice to get the ship out of the waters.
Paul Johnston, a scientist with the Greenpeace laboratories at the University of Exeter, said his major concern was that after the tugboats were unable to break up the boat "panic seems to have set in with the salvagers," and they have rushed to use explosives again.
"Now they're really gung-ho. It's necessary to break the ship up, but did they have to do it when there was a south-westerly wind that could wash any residual oil ashore?" he said referring to yesterday's weather conditions. Mr Johnston said today's weather looks more favourable.
The MCA acknowledged that some residual oil may be left in the wreck. But MCA spokesman, Fred Caygill, said that the bulk of the oil had already been disposed of.
"Thirty-five hundred metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil was pumped off this vessel in early January to avoid a major disaster in the English Channel," he said, adding that the explosions were part of a planned, phased operation.
"All agencies are working extra hard to minimise the effect the pollution will have on the environment," he said.
Napoli has sat on the seabed of the shallow coastal waters since late January when it was deliberately grounded after its hull cracked in a storm off Cornwall. It had been on route from Antwerp, Belgium to South Africa. All 26 crew members were airlifted to safety.
The ship's cargo floated to shore and hundreds of people gathered on the beach to collect the flotsam and jetsam, which included everything from BMW motorcycles to disposable nappies.
Around 200 tonnes of oil leaked from the vessel when it was first grounded, affecting about 1,900 seabirds. After the looting which follwed the first incident when the ship ran aground, police were taking no risks yesterday.
Yesterday, coastal footpaths in Branscombe, next to where the Napoli lies, were closed by police as part of a 1000-metre public safety zone.
Questions raised about Napoli's history
Efforts to break up the stricken ship for salvage were renewed as questions surfaced about previous incidents involving the ship and its overall seaworthiness.
Paul Johnston of Greenpeace said the £50m salvage operation had been "relatively clean and efficient." But, he said, "there are genuine concerns on how decisions were made. This is a ship with a known history of grounding and structural damage." Mr Johnston said he hoped an inquiry would answer questions about the vessel's structural integrity and how it came to be certified.
British "quality" papers reported that the owners of the vessel are said to be "Metvale", a shell company based in the British Virgin Islands.
Metvale is apparently owned by a company registered in Monaco, but the ship was managed by a further company known as Zodiac. The Captain was a Bulgarian and the crew were mainly from third world countries
News reports at the time of the incident raised queries as to how a 16 year old ship could develop such severe problems. It later emerged that in 2001 the same ship, then named the Normandie, ran onto a coral reef in the Strait of Malacca between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, heavily loaded and at full speed. Afterwards it needed extensive repairs.
There were further problems with the ship in 2006
PRESS RELEASE - Jan. 18 2006
"The MSC Napoli is a 1991 built 4734 TEU full cellular container ship managed by Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd. of London. The vessel sailed from Antwerp on Wednesday 17th January bound for Sines, Portugal carrying 2,394 containers. At 10.30 yesterday morning, the crew on board the MSC Napoli, sent a distress signal when in the very poor weather and sea conditions encountered in Northern Europe the vessel began to take on water through a sudden and unexpected longitudinal crack on her starboard side shell plating in way of engine room.
Her crew had to abandon ship and we would like to express our public thanks and appreciation to the emergency services of the French and the U.K Coast Guards for their prompt and effective intervention.
The crew were landed safely by the courageous and efficient actions of the Royal Navy and are all well. The crew have been accommodated and arrangements are in hand to repatriate them home to their families. We operate one of the world's largest and most modern fleets.
We and the vessel's owners were shocked and surprised by the incident, which is so far unexplained. Together with our insurers, we will leave no stone unturned in pursuing a full and vigorous investigation into the events that gave rise to the casualty. We are cooperating fully with both the U.K and French Authorities.
The vessel is currently being salved by leading international salvors. On behalf of the shipowners we again express our appreciation to the Royal Navy at Culdrose and the French and the United Kingdom Coast Guards for all their efforts."
The Naked Reader 2007
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