Container ship 'MSC Napoli' being towed to safety in UK waters
After discussions between the French Authorities and the UK's Secretary of State's representative Robin Middleton and salvors, the decision was taken to tow the vessel to a position in Lyme Bay as the preferred destination where a salvage operation can take place in relative safety. The Abeilles Bourbon from France is towing the vessel and the MCA Tug, Anglian Princess is escorting the tow. The operation to salvage the vessel has now started and the ship may be towed to Lyme Bay.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The operation to salvage the vessel has now started and the ship may be towed to Lyme Bay.
After discussions between the French Authorities and the UK's Secretary of State's representative Robin Middleton and salvors, the decision was taken to tow the vessel to a position in Lyme Bay as the preferred destination where a salvage operation can take place in relative safety.
The Abeilles Bourbon from France is towing the vessel and the MCA Tug, Anglian Princess is escorting the tow.
Smit International, the contracted salvors are mobilising maritime salvage equipment from Holland to Lyme Bay.
The vessel is carrying 2,394 containers; only a small proportion of the cargo is classed as hazardous according to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. These products consist of some retail perfumes, industrial and agricultural chemicals. This is a typical loading pattern for this type of ship.
Robin Middleton, Secretary of State's Representative for Salvage and Intervention and leading the MCA Salvage Response Unit said
"I have been working closely with the French Government and the salvors to carry out a risk assessment of the various options available to us.
The most favorable option is to tow the vessel to a sheltered location where the salvage operation to remove the containers or make out temporary repairs can be carried out.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency Counter Pollution and Response branch will be working with the Salvage Consortium and other agencies to minimise any risk of pollution or damage to the environment.
"The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is investigating this incident as the vessel is registered within the UK."
Press releases and further information about the Agency is available on the Web at http://www.mcga.gov.uk
This story was released on 2007-01-22. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.
