NAPOLI UPDATE - Tuesday 30 January, am.

The weather forecast for the week is good, which will aid the recovery operation.

The crane barge Big Foot, (92 metres long and 62 metres wide), is continuing to lift containers from the Napoli onto the shuttle barge.  The operation is going well.  The work is slow and has to be carried out with great care.

The shuttle barge could reach its optimum capacity in 2 to 3 days time, when it will transport the containers to a reception compound at Portland.  There it will unload and return to the Napoli.  While the weather conditions do not pose a problem, a round trip for the shuttle barge may take 24 to 36 hours.

While the shuttle barge is transporting its load to Portland, Big Foot will continue to offload the containers onto its deck, ready then to load onto the shuttle barge on its return.  

Big Foot will continue the container lifting operation in day light hours, seven days a week.

As of 4pm yesterday, the salvage crew on the Napoli had pumped out 1,830 tonnes of fuel from the ship.  

Divers have successfully tapped into the fuel tanks on the starboard side, and have this morning began pumping out.   

Fuel from the now emptied tanks on the port side had been pumped out at approximately 5 tonnes per hour, but the crew are now using a different technique which has increased the pump speed this morning to 20 tonnes per hour.

Progress with removal of the 57 containers washed ashore is going well.  Seven isolated containers will be taken to the compound at Branscombe for removal.  The contractors today are recovering a ship's lifeboat that came from the Napoli and was washed ashore at Seaton.

The two sonar vessels are continuing their search for submerged containers.  46 containers remain missing.  The sonar vessels are covering 12 square kilometres per day.

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, (CEFAS), have brought a Plymouth Marine Laboratories vessel into the area today to carry out water sedament and molusc sampling.

The RSPCA say approximately 900 live birds and 700 dead birds have been reported to them.

The Police have reported no traffic management issues.

The South West Coast Path is now accessible from Lyme Regis to Exmouth, although the spur on the underhook between Beer Head and Branscombe remains closed while the beach below is closed to the public.

Care is advised to members of the public visiting beaches - to report sightings of containers and other Napoli related debris to authorities; not to pick up items off the beach, to keep dogs on leads, to keep children close.