Leaking ship sparks pollution alert
Press Association
Sunday January 21, 2007 4:33 PM
A major anti-pollution operation is underway after a stricken cargo ship started leaking oil off the coast of Devon.
The stricken MSC Napoli was deliberately run aground near Sidmouth, east Devon after it was damaged during a storm on Thursday.
The 62,000 tonne ship is carrying 2,400 containers, some of which contain potentially dangerous chemicals.
Coastguards have reported up to 200 of the containers, carrying materials such as battery acid and perfume, had come loose from the stricken ship, which also contains 3,500 tonnes of heavy fuel oil.
Robin Middleton, the secretary of state's representative for Maritime, Salvage and Intervention, said: "The salvage plan is concerned with the oils which we deem to be the greater threat, they include diesel and 3,500 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. At the moment it is all contained within the vessel.
"At present oil is coming from the vessel, we believe that oil is coming from fractured tanks or from the overflow tanks in the engine space."
Mr Middleton said that the bulk of the 3,500 tonnes of oil is contained within the ship. Salvage teams believe the leaking oil is from the ship's own supply, stored in a separate area, and the maximum amount that could leak is 200 tonnes.
Navy helicopters rescued the Napoli's 26 crew members on Thursday in rough seas, 40 miles off Lizard Point, Cornwall after a hole in its side flooded the engine room and stalled the ship.
The Napoli was being towed to Portland when a "severe structural failure" forced the salvage teams to beach it.
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