Salvors from a consortium comprising Klyne Tugs, Smit International and Les Abeilles moved swiftly to ensure that the ship was safely aground, ballasted down and anchored in position in spite of further heavy weather that caused the well publicised loss of 100 containers. As soon a the weather abated on 23 January, the tanker ‘Forth Fisher’ was put alongside and oil recovery began. That process was virtually complete by the10th of February when further bad weather forced operations to be curtailed. By that time Forth Fisher had virtually all of the 3,600 tons of heavy fuel from the ship’s bunkers onboard and was sent to discharge. All that remained was to remove any remaining oil from engineroom service tanks and skim the water in the flooded machinery spaces. That work was able to proceed by putting the Klyne Tugs anchor-handler ‘Anglian Earl’, which replaced the ETV ‘Anglian Princess’, alongside to act as a work base and recipient for the recovered oils. 

While oil recovery operations were underway, work was also taking place to remove as many containers as possible from the ship’s deck.  The heavy crane barge ‘Big Foot’, attended by the tug ‘Pasvik’, was anchored in position to allow the containers to be lifted clear and placed on the large ‘flat-top’ cargo barge ‘Boa Barge 21’. In spite of the difficulties associated with lifting containers from a ship with a heavy list, the system worked well. During the period of good weather, up until 10 February, 314 containers had been removed. The entire deck cargo aft of the bridge was cleared and work had started on deck cargo in other areas. The painstaking work of cargo removal can only be undertaken in daylight and in fine weather due to the dangerous situation for the works team. Once removed and aboard the ‘shuttle barge’ the containers were transported to Portland Docks where they were weighed and checked for hazardous materials prior to opening.

In addition to the plant already mentioned, the anchor handler ‘Smit Madura’, tug ‘Smit Bronco’, salvage vessels ‘Union Bever’ and ‘Channel Chieftain’ were also employed. When weather conditions deteriorated most of the plant associated with cargo removal took shelter in Portland. At the time of writing the condition of MSC Napoli was reported to be stable, with a list of about 10 degrees, and settling noticeably into the seabed. Removal of the deck cargo aft of the bridge was expected to relieve some of the stresses in the damaged hull.

Contingency plans remain in place right around the adjacent coastline and salvors and recovery workers ashore are working in close cooperation with all the local authorities, the Police and the Coastguard. Any containers that may be washed ashore in subsequent bad weather will be marked and secured as soon as they arrive on the beach. Aerial surveillance flights continue and those reconnaissance missions will also help pinpoint any missing containers. Security officers are on standby in the various locations to identify and secure any containers that may come ashore on behalf of the Receiver of Wreck.

The MCA report that contractors have progressed well with the clean up of Branscombe Beach following the events that occurred after the arrival of the MSC Napoli. Fifty-eight containers have been disposed of and 160 tons of steel scrap have been removed and recycled. Some 169 tons of other waste has also been removed from beaches and taken for licensed disposal. It appears that the pollution of beaches in the area was exacerbated considerably by the unauthorised opening of containers on the beach and the resulting scavenging.

By Jack Gaston