Date set for MSC Napoli inquiry

Fifty of the vessel's 2,400 containers washed ashore at Branscombe

A date has been set for the local inquiry into the grounding of the stricken MSC Napoli.

The container ship was deliberately beached off Devon's World Heritage coast in 2007 after it was damaged in storms and at risk of sinking.

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

Public hearings will be held at County Hall in Exeter from 4 November.

Members of the inquiry committee will also meet residents of Branscombe and Beer informally so they can express their views.

'Flawed' design

Twenty-six crew members were forced to abandon ship when the Napoli got into difficulties 50 miles (80km) off the Lizard in Cornwall on 18 January 2007.

They were winched to safety by two helicopters from RNAS Culdrose.

The 62,000-tonne vessel, which had 2,400 containers on board, was being towed to Portland Harbour in Dorset, when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency took the decision to deliberately beach it.

The subsequent salvage operation cost an estimated £50m.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report blamed the ship's "flawed" design.

The ship's 13.5 tonne anchor was put on display in Branscombe to mark the dramatic events.

Devon County Council began its inquiry to register the lessons learned from the incident.