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3rd time lucky for unlucky Napoli
• third round of explosions finally split stricken ship
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By
Lady Tek-ee, Contributing editor
Sunday,
22 July, 2007
A third round of explosives has finally split the beached container ship MSC Napoli in two off the Devon coast.
The explosions were triggered soon after midday on 20 July 2007 on MSC Napoli, which has been stranded off Branscombe since it was damaged in a storm in January.
The stern of the ship will stay on site and be cut up while the bow section has been towed away for recycling, possibly in mainland Europe.
The operation was carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Robin Middleton, the Secretary of State's representative for Maritime Salvage, said the separation of the Napoli had been a "copybook" operation.
Mr Middleton, who took the decision to ground the Napoli off the Devon coast, said a recycling site would be sought over the coming weeks for the bow section, now about a mile offshore.
The stern, including the accommodation block, would remain grounded where a contractor would dismantle it and the metal would be recycled. Contractors could be working on the stern within a month, and it would take about three further months to dismantle.
Mr Middleton said: "Without any doubt whatsoever, it was the right decision to ground the Napoli in Lyme Bay.
"We could have had 3,800 tonnes of oil here, containers, chemicals in the water, we may have had to close access to the Channel. "I am glad we have achieved this with the lack of damage to the environment we have."
Contractors appointed by the vessel's owners have been dealing with oil which has been coming ashore on beaches.
A large boom was in position to catch any oil which may leak from the vessel in her position about half a mile off Sidmouth on east Devon's World Heritage coast.
The Naked Reader 2007
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