Around 60 per cent of the fuel oil aboard a damaged container ship grounded off a World Heritage Site coast has been removed, the vessel's managers said today.
The 62,000 tonne MSC Napoli, listing a mile off Sidmouth, east Devon, was carrying 3,500 tonnes of fuel oil when she was grounded there the weekend before last.
By this morning 2,105 tonnes of fuel had been removed, and pumping was continuing round the clock, said Zodiac Maritime Agencies (ZMA) of London.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) senior coastguard Derek Smith said today the removal of the oil was the salvage operation's top priority.
The decision to ground the Napoli was made amid fears she could go down under tow to Portland, Dorset, following a Channel storm in which her 26 crew were rescued.
The Napoli was carrying 2,318 containers, of which 103 went overboard, said ZMA.
The beaching of around 50 containers at Branscombe, east Devon, following the grounding sparked a two-day looting frenzy.
The operation to unload the containers by crane-barge was continuing amid fears that favourable weather conditions could change over the weekend.