23/01/2007

Dorset ship scavengers condemned

Members of the public who have descended on the stricken cargo ship MSC Napoli in Devon have been condemned for their "crass greed".

Mark Clark, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said that the scavengers who have flocked to Branscombe Beach were making the task of clearing the beach even more difficult.

Mr Clark told reporters that the scavengers had "quadrupled" the MCA's task and said that people were lighting fires beside the containers, ripping stuff out of them and not heeding the agency's warnings.

He said: "The MCA is deeply upset and angry because all the stuff which has been ripped out of the containers will be swept out to sea and have an environmental impact."

The Napoli suffered structural damage during a storm last Thursday and it was deliberately grounded a mile off Branscombe.

However, hundreds of scavengers have descended on the beach over the last two days, taking cargo from around 40 of the ships containers that have washed ashore.

The ship was carrying a variety of products, including BMW motorcycles, car parts, nappies, wine, and hair products.

Some cargo from the ship has also reportedly turned up on the internet auction site eBay. According to reports, ten steering wheel airbags, advertised as having come from the Napoli, are now up for sale on the site.

However, Anita Bokdal - who had a container containing around £130,000 worth of her posessions on the Napoli - has now learned that she will be reunited with some of her belongings after a member of the public reported them to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

However, the salvage from the ship remains the property of the original owner, under the Merchant Shipping Act. Anyone who finds the washed up goods must report them to the receiver of the wreck - the Maritime and Coastguard Agency - within 28 days or risk being fined up to £2,500.

The beach has now been closed in order to allow cranes an other heavy lifting equipment to be moved to the area to help the clean-up operation.

Police have put roadblocks in place to prevent the public travelling to the beach.

An operation to pump out more than 3,000 tonnes of oil from the Napoli was due to begin on Tuesday, but the process is expected to take several days.

(KMcA)

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