Council proposes Napoli inquiry

The Napoli was stripped of containers before being split in two

The grounding of the MSC Napoli in Lyme Bay is to be subject to a local inquiry held by Devon County Council.

The MSC Napoli was beached in Lyme Bay last January and part of the stern is still there.

The incident is being investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the government has said it will not be holding a public inquiry.

But Devon County Council says lessons could be learnt and it is planning to press ahead with its own inquiry.

'Ongoing risk'

The idea is that it could help deal with a similar incident if it should happen in the future.

The Executive Committee will be asked next week to agree to the plan for an independently-chaired inquiry. If they do preliminary evidence gathering will start in February.

Brian Greenslade, Devon County Council leader, said: "The recent "near-miss" with the cargo ship MV Ice Prince serves to illustrate the ongoing risk to our coastlines, and the need for all agencies to learn any lessons.

"A local inquiry would provide a structured and reassuring opportunity for communities to record their experiences, questions and concerns," he said.

The MSC Napoli lost more than 100 containers and was stripped of about 2,300 containers before being split in half in July last year.

The bow section was then floated to Northern Ireland.

Work to remove the stern section of the vessel is currently on hold throughout the winter and will resume again in the spring.