Huge barge to take Napoli remains

The stern will be moved intact

The remaining section of the ill-fated MSC Napoli, stranded off the East Devon coast, will be taken away in one piece.

The Dutch team who have overseen the salvage operation so far have now been awarded the contract to lift the stern.

They will remove it on a giant barge to limit further environmental damage. The bow was towed to Belfast 10 days ago.

The vessel, stranded since January, was finally split in two by controlled explosions by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the MoD in July.

The vessel was split in two by controlled explosions

The ship was damaged in storms while sailing from Antwerp to South Africa and deliberately beached. The crew was rescued safely.

The 62,000-ton cargo vessel was carrying about 2,300 containers, of which about 100 went overboard and 58 were washed ashore, leading to a scavenging and looting spree.

The salvage operation has cost more than £50m. The final section will be taken away by November, the salvors say.