British transport minister defends ?MSC Napoli? grounding

British transport minister defends ôMSC Napoliö grounding British Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman on Thursday defended the deliberate grounding of the containership 'MSC Napoli,' saying the environmental damage would have been far worse if the ship had sunk in the English Channel.
   The decision to ground the ship off the Devon Coast rather than continue under tow to Portland in Dorset was made on Jan. 20, because severe weather conditions started to cause structural damage.
   'With cracks on both side, it became clear it would not reach Portland,' Ladyman told members of Parliament in the House of Commons. 'The only viable option was to beach the ship in shallow water where there was a greater chance of successful salvage.'
   The coastline in which the ship now rests in Lyme Bay is part of a World Heritage Site and there are concerns about the long-term damage to the local environment caused by oil slicks and debris from containers ripped open on Branscombe beach by looters.
   Ladyman added that the original choice of Portland was made because French authorities couldn't identify a place of refuge in France and other nearby U.K. ports lacked sufficient water depth.
   'At worst, the entire operation — pumping out the oil, lifting off the cargo and removing the ship itself — could take 12 months,' Ladyman said.
   In response to the Transport Minister's statement, Shadow Shipping Minister Julian Brazier voiced his concerns over how the ship found itself in such circumstances.
   'Once the Marine Accident Investigation Board has finished its inquiry, we will need to know how it was that a ship which was given a clean bill of health only five days before in Antwerp, almost cracked down the middle off the coast of Devon,' Brazier said.
   'Indeed, it appears there have been concerns about the vessel, since it ran aground on a reef in the Malacca Straits six years ago.
   'Had the 'Napoli' been out in the Atlantic when her sides cracked open, the main story might not have been the looters on the bay, but the tragic death of the 26 seafarers. Yet she was a British registered vessel. It was our duty as the flag state to make sure she was seaworthy.
   'The inquiry must answer questions on that. We need to know that the British coastguard carries out sufficient Port State Control inspections of foreign-flagged vessels visiting U.K. ports as is our duty,' the Conservative Party politician said, before praising the rescue, salvage and environmental cleanup operations.
   According to the latest update, the stricken vessel's condition is stable and improving as more containers and oil is removed.
   Robin Middleton, the Secretary of State's representative for salvage and intervention who is leading the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's salvage response unit, said: 'I have increasing confidence in the structural strength and stability of the vessel, especially since the removal of containers from the aft section of the vessel which has significantly reduced stress on the vessel structure.'