OIL PUMPED FROM MSC NAPOLI

The operation to pump oil from the MSC Napoli is now well underway.  Salvors have been pumping oil from the vessel at a rate of 30 tonnes per hour. The operation began again this morning. By midday today over 275 tonnes had been removed from portside tank 6 and preparations were underway to start pumping oil from portside tank 5. This will start later today.

The process of pumping oil is an uncomfortable and challenging one.  Salvors are working in extremely difficult conditions, for example having to climb through small manholes in the deck, wearing breathing apparatus to insert hoses and move them about within the structure of the tank in order to suck out the oil.  The salvors must rest for health and safety reasons, therefore they are unable to work between midnight and first light.  However a second crew are en route and it is hoped that 24hr pumping will be achieved.

Yesterday 5 tonnes of oil leaked from an air pipe from the vessel which has now been plugged.  This was boomed and sprayed with dispersant and has now dissipated. 990 seabirds have been reported as being washed up on the shore; of these 354 have been taken for treatment at RSPB Centres.  The River Brid and Axe have been boomed to help prevent oil entering.  Other rivers may need to be boomed if tidal and wind conditions change.

The weather forecast over the next 3 days is favourable for the oil recovery operations with 17 -18 knot north to north-easterly winds.

The number of containers lost from the ship still stands at 103.  Of these 50 have been positively identified on the shore; 20 are still afloat and will be recovered by boat; and 33 are unaccounted for and are presumed sunk.  The owners of the ship have charted a vessel to locate the sunken containers using sonar.  A fixed wing aircraft has flown over the shipping lanes to ensure that there are no containers which could be problematic to shipping.

Branscombe beach has now been cleared of people and is fenced off as a worksite.  Private contractors have begun the operation to clear the debris left by those who scavenged the site at the beginning of the week, as well as clearing the containers on shore.

The Receiver of Wreck is working with e-Bay regarding a number of items which were advertised on its site after Monday’s activities.  Those who have already acquired items of wreck are reminded that they must by law report it to the Receiver of Wreck.  This can be done by a form available on the MCA’s website at www.mcga.gov.uk/ROW.

In the meantime items should be secured and held until the Receiver of Wreck contacts the legal owner of the property.

END

For further information please contact

Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on:

(023) 8032 9401

Press releases and further information about the Agency is available on the Web at www.mcga.gov.uk