Thursday 19 July 2007

MSC Napoli separation - not quite there yet

Yesterday saw the second series of detonations on MSC Napoli and it had been hoped that they would be enough to finally break the ship completely in two but, although much weakened, Napoli is still in one piece. The plan now is to have another go tomorrow with more explosives: maybe a case of "third time lucky".

Of more immediate concern to locals, visitors and tourism providers is the oil washed up on the nearby beach. The trouble with the wretched stuff is that no matter how careful you are it is all to easy to pick up on shoes etc. With a lot of adverse publicity in the media would be holidaymakers are cancelling in some instances. And, rather like the time of the foot and mouth horror of 2001, it is difficult to get folk to understand that problems are localised.

We are told that the conditions around the vessel do not permit placing a boom around it at the present time but that the intention is to place a boom around the stern after separation. The nearby rivers Brit, Axe and Sid have been boomed.

Talk is of the stern taking about a month to cut up. On a positive note it was suggested if I recall correctly that unloading the containers could take at least 9 months. So I suppose it could be argued that they are up on the clock as we are about six months from the original beaching.

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