Coastguard officials are to begin pumping 3,500 tonnes of oil from the stricken MSC Napoli ship, which was stranded off the coast of East Devon on Friday. Conservationists say heavy leakage of oils and chemical toxins from the vessel, which beached off Branscombe after she was damaged in heavy storms, threatened important marine life at the nearby World Heritage site of Lyme Bay.
Lyme Bay is considered an important natural bay, particularly for its high density of corals and the rare pink sea fan.
MCS Napoli was being towed to Portland Harbour in Dorset for a salvage operation on Friday after it was damaged in heavy storms. However, coastguards decided to beach the ship to prevent her sinking in deep water as the structure began to break up.
According to officials, about 200 tonnes of oil has already leaked from the cargo vessel. A boom has been placed to contain loss of fuel and attempts are being made to remove the bunker fuel.
Environmentalists said they were particularly concerned about the 2,323 containers the vessel was carrying, 158 of which are classed as having potentially hazardous contents. The ship has already lost around 200 containers overboard, which according to officials include two carrying 'dangerous, but low-risk' goods.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said leakage of hazardous chemicals from the containers would seriously threaten marine life in Lyme Bay.
'Our main concern is for the reef habitat and also the birds,' said Melissa Moore, senior policy officer of the MCS.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has drafted in a specialist team, but it said only a dozen seabirds so far have been found covered in oil. It is unclear what damage has been caused to marine life.
MCS has questioned the seaworthiness of the cargo ship and whether or not it was fit to be registered in Britain. MSC Napoli had to undergo serious repair after it crashed into a coral reef in Southeast Asia in 2001.
'If the vessel had been properly constructed and maintained it should not have suffered structural defects despite the storm conditions last week so something has gone wrong in either the design, repair or maintenance of this vessel,' said Moore. 'Shipping incidents such as this need to serve as a reminder to the shipping industry, government and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that working together to advance the clean ship approach to shipping is vital.'
A team of commercial divers is attempting to salvage the cargo.
Anyone who finds anything washed ashore have been told not to approach the material and to contact Portland Coastguard immediately on 01305 760439.
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