Life’s a beach for MSC Napoli
The United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency on Thursday re-beached the MSC Napoli at high tide after inspections found that the 62,277-deadweight-ton vessel is in a worse state than anticipated.
The 1991-built ship, which spent nearly six months grounded off the Devon Coast of England after being caught up in a severe storm in January, was refloated on Monday. The vessel is now beached in shallower waters north of where it was originally sitting.
The original incident drew massive media attention as looters scavenged goods such as diapers and BMW motorbikes from containers washed up on Branscombe Beach in Sidmouth.
“My decision to re-beach the MSC Napoli was taken following the refloating of the vessel earlier this week, which highlighted the fact that the wreck is in a worse state of deterioration than previously thought, with the crack of the hull being some three meters wide in places,” said Robin Middleton, the Secretary of States Representative in Maritime Salvage and Intervention.
“On the basis of these findings, the vessel is incapable of being towed,” he added.
Life’s a beach for MSC Napoli
