Napoli Inquiry Chairman named

Toward the end of January I had written about the upcoming inquiry about lessons to be learnt from the events emanating from the deliberate beaching of the MSC Napoli off Branscombe. In that piece I had mentioned the name of Ian Mercer who is well respected and had competently chaired another Devon County Council inquiry following the dreadful foot and mouth outbreak of 2001. The good news is that Professor Ian Mercer CBE has been appointed now to oversee the Napoli inquiry. Also good to know that both Dorset County Council and East Devon District Council are keen to see this inquiry go ahead.

Although well aware of Ian's long career relating to conservation and environmental issues and his association with Devon I had forgotten that he had previously been in the navy. He seems to tick all the right boxes. No news yet as to when the inquiry proper will get underway but as soon as I know I shall put it on this blog.

MSC Napoli - more delay on stern removal

My more recent entries on the Napoli had suggested that the remainder of the stern of the ship, still languishing off the Jurassic Coast near Branscombe, would have gone before the start of this summer. As you can see from the press release here issued yesterday by Fred Caygill of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency this is not now going to happen. I had thought in my ignorance that the stern section might have been lifted in one go as the salvors had entertained the possibility of doing that before the large accommodation block had been removed. Maybe the list of 40 degrees has put paid to any such notion. Whatever it appears that the MSC Napoli will still be present through the summer as they use controlled explosions to assist in the removal of the heavy components still to be removed from the stern section.

Now this final plan has come as something of a surprise and disappointment to me - I had thought that the stern section would have definitely gone before the main summer period but as I said I think the way it has heeled over must be a massive constraining factor in the removal process.

So what about the knock on effects resulting from this latest press-release? Firstly I think that the County Council had intended to get the Public Enquiry's hearings underway this summer but I can't imagine that this will happen now as surely they will want the removal to be completed first. Then there is the little matter of the effect on local tourism; I'm upbeat on this I have to say. We are told that the local beaches at least are monitored every day for anything coming ashore from Napoli so that the coast in that immediate vicinity should be kept in a pristine condition. I could be wrong but think that the ship's owners have this responsibility which should therefore reduce the cost on the public purse. The other point is that the presence of the stern section would I suggest be more of a draw for tourists rather than being a negative.

The Napoli saga has plenty of life in it yet!

MSC Napoli inquiry started yesterday

A brief entry just to confirm that the official inquiry into the MSC Napoli events got going yesterday. This is the start of the evidence gathering part of the process, the hearings will start later. As yet the County Council hasn't officially appointed a chairman although I suspect they at least have a shortlist or even a specific person in mind.

Although what remains of 'Napoli' lying off the beach at Branscombe isn't due to be finally removed until next month she doesn't seem to be causing a problem at the moment. Local businesses, or some of them anyway, had expressed concern about the Napoli still being in evidence during the Easter holiday. Personally I think that it will be the last opportunity for many tourists to see her and I think her presence over that weekend will benefit rather than hinder the local economy. We shall soon see whether my guess is right!

Napoli inquiry launch date

Following my previous entries regarding a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the MSC Napoli affair Devon County Council have issued a press release. There's a good deal of information in it and you can access it here. Much to much for me to repeat but I'll just mention one or two things. Initially the Council want to amass as much evidence and people's experiences as possible. The press release indicates how individuals can submit to the inquiry which can be in writing rather than them being physically present at the hearing. To publicise the whole thing the Council is going to officially launch the inquiry next Tuesday at Branscombe.

One other point: this press notice doesn't I think suggest that the reason(s) for the original Napoli damage prior to her crew's rescue would form part of the inquiry. However I would like to think that someone from the Marine Investigation Branch will attend and give evidence.

It's good to get on with this preliminary stuff. It shouldn't be long now before what's left of the ship is removed from its present resting place.

Confirmation of MSC Napoli enquiry

Following my piece on the Napoli exactly a week ago I'm pleased to confirm that Devon County Council have now formally ratified the decision to hold a public enquiry. The enquiry will not have the force of law behind it and anyboby participating in it will do so on a voluntary basis. It's hoped that evidence will be passed to the Council over the next few months preparatory to the start of the public hearings later in the year. Inevitably there have been criticisms about the handling of the Napoli incident but I really hope that those that have been in the firing line are prepared to come forward; it would also be useful if businesses and private individuals from the Branscombe area had their say. Critically the tests that have been done on the area of the fracture on the ship's hull which started the whole saga need to be brought into the public domain.

Unlike certain enquiries generated by central government (think "Hutton") I believe this one will be painstaking and thorough.

Napoli enquiry moves closer

If you have (hopefully!) been following the unfolding story of the MSC Napoli on this blog over the past 12 months you will be aware of Devon County Council's intention to hold a public enquiry. Although the Marine Accident Investigation Branch have been delving into the incident the government has said it will not hold a public enquiry. The national media have thought this would be the end of the story. Not so! Devon County Council to their credit realise that useful lessons can be learnt by holding their own public enquiry. The Executive Committee will be asked next week to agree a plan for an independently-chaired enquiry; following this preliminary gathering of evidence will start.

This has echoes of the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001 that had such an awful outcome for Devon's farmers. Following that event the County Council had a public enquiry under the able chairmanship of Ian Mercer. I hope that either he or someone of similar standing will oversee this one.

MSC Napoli enquiry still on track

I have stated in previous blog entries that Devon County Council, to their credit, had decided that they would hold a public enquiry into the loss of the MSC Napoli and, as I had anticipated, they are waiting until the final removal of the stern section off Branscombe before doing this. You can get confirmation of this fact plus a situation update on the wreck by going here.

There has been a multi-agency de-brief concerning emergency response and recovery issues during the early months of the Napoli saga and the report including several recommendations is here in a pdf file. So if you are desperate for some Christmas reading look no further!

It looks as if we will have to wait to the summer at least to get our public enquiry; as soon as I know more I shall flag it up.