Tenth anniversary of the MSC Napoli shipwreck disaster
When a storm forced the MSC Napoli ashore at Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, it was the start of a £120 million salvage operation lasting 924 days.
Onlookers watch the MSC Napoli from the shore of Branscombe Bay in Dorset. Photo: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
It was a nightmare scenario – a huge container ship heading down the English Channel is severely damaged in a storm and forced to come ashore on Dorset’s famous Jurassic Coast – a World Heritage Coastline. The prospect didn’t bear thinking about.
But that’s what happened on 20 January 2007, in a memorable maritime event that put the coastal village of Branscombe firmly on the map and sparked a major international multi-agency recovery and salvage operation that took two-and-a-half years to complete.
The drama began on 18 January, when the Napoli, a 62,000 tonne container ship enroute from Antwerp to Durban, South Africa, ran into a violent storm off Britanny. The ship put out a distress call after suffering ‘catastrophic damage’ to its hull. All 26 crew were airlifted to safety in a rescue operation co-ordinated by UK coastguards.
Force 11 northerly winds made it impossible for the vessel to shelter along the French coast, so the French government asked the UK government if the crippled ship could be towed across the Channel into UK waters. The Napoli was still afloat, but listing badly. A storm cracked the hull of the MSC Napoli, which was evacuated by its crew. Photo: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
The ship was carrying 2,300 containers and 3,800 tonnes of oil. Its assorted cargo included explosives, fertiliser, weedkiller, car engines, chocolate, Polish bibles, vodka, shampoo, wine, coffee, perfume, dog biscuits and frozen ducks.