Salvage experts trying to decide what to do with the beached container ship MSC Napoli say that one option under consideration is to tow the vessel to deep water and sink her.
Salvage experts trying to decide what to do with the beached container ship MSC Napoli say that one option under consideration is to tow the vessel to deep water and sink her.
MSC Napoli was deliberately beached in Lyme Bay in January after cracks appeared in her hull while she was heading down the Channel. Work has been going on ever since to recover her cargo of containers, but the last of these is expected to be removed in the near future.
Although the 53,000-tonne ship has not yet been declared a Constructive Total Loss, salvors say that her size presents a major problem. She has a normal draught of 19m, and there is no guarantee that she can be refloated sufficiently for her to be towed to a suitably deep dock.
Towing her out to deep water and sinking her, after all pollutants have first been removed, may be the only solution.
