Global Response Maritime News

Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of States Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP) officially declared an end to the salvage and wreck removal operations of the MSC Napoli on Thursday 29th July 2009, 924 days after it all began. The MSC Napoli was beached at Branscombe on Saturday 20 January 2007 and since then there have been several salvage and wreck removal phases aimed initially at removing her fuel oil, then her cargo, and ultimately the wreck of the MSC Napoli itself.

A major contract to remove the stern of the container vessel MSC Napoli has been awarded to the newly-established company Global Response Maritime B.V.,based in The Netherlands. The contract, placed by the vessel owners, calls for the clearance of a stern section with an estimated weight of around 3,800 tonnes. MSC Napoli became a casualty during a violent Channel storm in January 2007. The vessel was beached deliberately, in order to prevent her sinking in the English Channel. Subsequent operations, by other contractors, included recovery of bunkers, containers and the forepart of the ship. The work scope under the new contract involves the total removal of the stern, including main engine, together with delivery of all scrap to the recovery facility of Scheepssloperij Nederland B.V.