Weather delays Napoli off-loading

More containers could be lost
ALAN PEAT
THOSE SA cargo owners and underwriters waiting to find out about cargo consignments on the wrecked container ship MSC Napoli are in for another delay, with the British meteorological office last Thursday forecasting storm conditions for the whole of this past weekend – and the Maritime and Coastguard Authority (MCA), in charge of the salvage operation, agreeing with salvors Smit to stop container off-loading until the weather clears. The Smit team moved the “Bigfoot” barge back to Portland Port and away from the vessel while poorer weather and bigger sea swells developed in the immediate area of the wreck. Robin Middleton, representative of the secretary of states in maritime salvage and intervention, told FTW that no further containers would be removed from the ship during the inclement weather. “It is likely,” he said, “that more containers will be lost from the ship during this bad weather.” At that stage, the number of containers lost from the ship still stood at 103. The MCA said that 56 had been positively identified on the shore and 47 unaccounted for and presumed sunk – although the owners of the ship have chartered a vessel to locate the sunken containers using sonar, and fixed-wing aircraft continue to fly over the shipping lanes to ensure that there are no containers which could be problematic to shipping. Of the remainder of the total load of 2 394 boxes, 314 had been removed by last Thursday. The oil removal operation, said the MCA, will continue as long as safety is not compromised. “The condition of the ship remains the same,” the authority added. “Pumping equipment is in place within the engine room and is now removing the remaining oils from tanks within the ship's engine spaces.”