MSC Napoli

The incident

On 18 January 2007, the UK-registered container ship MSC Napoli, on passage from Antwerp (Belgium) to Sines (Portugal), was caught in a storm in the English Channel. A crack formed in the vessel’s hull, both on port and starboard sides, level with the bridge. The breach in the hull caused water ingress in the machine room. The vessel developed a list and was evacuated the same day. The ship, loaded with 2,318 containers (including 1,684 tonnes of dangerous goods), was towed to a place of refuge and ran aground on 20 January near Sidmouth (United Kingdom).

Spill response and crisis management

• Towing and beaching: at a place of refuge to prevent a major spill, despite the environmental risk (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
• Loss of containers overboard: 119 containers fell overboard (though none of the 159 containers carrying the 1,684 tonnes of materials classified as dangerous under the IMDG Code), 80 of which washed up on the coast of Devon, leading to scenes of looting.
• Response equipment: Oil spill response personnel and equipment from the MCA, as well as from private stockpiles, were quickly mobilised. Aerial surveillance and spill response measures were organised to protect sensitive areas (around the vessel and as a precautionary measure to protect rivers)
• Pollution: 302 tonnes of oil (fuel oil, diesel) were spilled, part of which washed up on the coasts of Brittany (patties, tarballs). Dispersants were spread (1 tonne)
• Waste treatment: in England, the recovered oil and oiled debris were treated at disposal sites approved by the UK Department for the Environment. In France, as the Polmar plan was not activated, the local authorities were responsible for managing contaminated waste.

Management of the wreck and containers

• Pumping: 3,512 tonnes of fuel oil and 152 tonnes of diesel were recovered between 23 January and 6 February using a hot tapping method which involved heating the oil and a water injection system.
• Container recovery:
• 2,199 containers removed from the wreck (including 1,351 from below decks).
• Recovered containers treated in Portland (United Kingdom): sorting, cleaning or destruction.
• Dismantling the wreck:
• Cutting in two (July 2007); bow section towed to Belfast and stern cut up on site.
• Final clean-up of debris and sediment (lasting until July 2009).

Impact of the spill

• Environment:
• 306 birds killed and 1,900 birds recovered (guillemots, razorbills) in England and 250 birds recovered in France.
• Limited contamination of sediment and marine fauna.
• Pollution on the English coast: Oil washed up (small quantities), often accompanied by debris from ruptured containers.
• Shoreline pollution in Brittany (Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor) along a 100 km stretch over a 10-day period (fuel oil and packets of biscuits washing ashore). Clean-up operations were carried out by local personnel, mainly manually.

Key takeaways

• Organisation:
• Effective international cooperation (Manche-Plan, Bonn Agreement).
• Identification and use of a place of refuge: This decision proved to be effective and helped to minimise the impact of the pollution and facilitate the oil removal and unloading operations.
• Oil contamination of the water column, fish and marine invertebrates was relatively low, localised and temporary.
• Cost: £150 million (insurance), 924 days of response operations.