Napoli inquiry goes on the road

Three controlled explosions split the Napoli in two

People are being invited to give their views to an inquiry over the grounding of the MSC Napoli off Devon.

Roadshow events are being held in communities close to where part of the wreck remains as part of Devon County Council's inquiry into the incident.

It is 14 months since the ship was deliberately grounded in Lyme Bay. Part of the stern still has to be cleared.

The inquiry roadshow is at Sidmouth and Branscombe on Wednesday, and at Seaton and Beer on Thursday.

Work to remove the Napoli's stern section is expected to start in April.

£50m operation

The vessel was deliberately beached in Lyme Bay, a World Heritage Coast site, in January 2007 after it was damaged in storms, while en-route to South Africa.

In the ensuing £50m salvage operation, nearly 4,000 tonnes of oil was pumped off the ship and more than 2,300 containers were removed.

Thousands of people from across the UK descended on Branscombe beach to scavenge the contents of 50 containers which washed ashore.

The ship was later split in two by controlled explosions and the bow taken to Belfast.

Public disorder

The government has rejected calls for a full public inquiry, but its Marine Accident Investigation Branch is holding an investigation.

A draft report has been circulated to interested parties and a full report is expected next month.

The council's inquiry is considering whether the protected coastline should be a place of refuge for shipping in emergencies.

It is also looking at salvage and public disorder issues.

The council said: "The purpose of the inquiry is to learn lessons to inform local and national contingency plans to minimise the potential for an incident similar to the MSC Napoli reoccurring, and for authorities to be better prepared to minimise any impact of future incidents."