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| Crane barges sail to Napoli's aid | Crane barges sail to Napoli's aid |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Two specialist crane barges are sailing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to join the operation to salvage the cargo of beached container ship MSC Napoli. | Two specialist crane barges are sailing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to join the operation to salvage the cargo of beached container ship MSC Napoli. |
| They will start lifting the remaining 2,394 containers off the ship, grounded off Sidmouth, east Devon, on Saturday. | |
| A team of 20 is working round the clock to pump oil from the ship. The 200 tonnes which had leaked into the sea has now been treated. | |
| Managers of the vessel said they are making "rapid progress". | |
| href="#map">Graphic: The MSC Napoli | |
| Zodiac Maritime Agencies, based in London, said one third of the fuel had been removed from the Napoli by 0800GMT on Thursday. | |
| A slick of leaked fuel, which had been several kilometres long and 30 metres wide, has also been treated with dispersant. | |
| But two of the ship's fuel tanks remain under water and it could take another week for all the fuel to be pumped to a second vessel, officials said. | |
| It will be a careful and slow operation MCA spokesman | |
| A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the ship's remaining containers will be removed in priority order. | |
| The process, which could take five months to complete, was likened to a game of jenga - removing wooden blocks without toppling the pile. | |
| An MCA spokesman added: "It will be a careful and slow operation." | |
| Lost containers | |
| The 62,000-tonne MSC Napoli, which was holed in storms on 18 January, was run aground following "serious structural failure". | |
| Hundreds of scavengers descended on the beach at Branscombe after 50 of the ship's containers washed ashore. | |
| Beachcombers took away goods that included BMW motorbikes, wine, face cream and nappies. | |
| The MCA has warned the public not to touch any other containers which may drift ashore. | |
| Maritime experts believe structural damage to the Napoli caused it to start 'hogging' The weakened hull causes a ship's bow and stern to sagThe effect is made worse by rough seas | Maritime experts believe structural damage to the Napoli caused it to start 'hogging' The weakened hull causes a ship's bow and stern to sagThe effect is made worse by rough seas |
| Senior coastguard Derek Smith said the Receiver of Wreck was now requiring salvage to be surrendered on the spot. | |
| He said: "We do not want people to break containers open - they will make a mess and they will not be allowed to take anything away from the beach. | |
| "If they fail to comply with the instructions of the receiver they could be arrested by the police." | |
| The ship's managers said 103 of its containers were lost from the vessel during the storms, although 70 had now been accounted for. | |
| A further 33 are being hunted by specialist sonar equipment. | |
| Hazardous materials, including perfume, pesticides and batteries, were being transported in 157 containers. | |
| Bird fears | |
| There are still fears thousands of seabirds could have been affected by the leaked oil. | There are still fears thousands of seabirds could have been affected by the leaked oil. |
| About 1,000 birds have been rescued since the ship was deliberately grounded a mile off Branscombe to prevent it breaking up in deep water after suffering structural damage during storms on 17 January. | About 1,000 birds have been rescued since the ship was deliberately grounded a mile off Branscombe to prevent it breaking up in deep water after suffering structural damage during storms on 17 January. |
| Royal Society for the Protection of Birds spokeswoman Sophie Atherton said it was difficult to determine exactly how many birds had been caught in the slick. | Royal Society for the Protection of Birds spokeswoman Sophie Atherton said it was difficult to determine exactly how many birds had been caught in the slick. |
| She said: "For every oiled bird ashore, there could be up to 10 times that number at sea." | She said: "For every oiled bird ashore, there could be up to 10 times that number at sea." |
| The Marine Conservation Society said it was satisfied that everything was being done to clear up after the Napoli. | The Marine Conservation Society said it was satisfied that everything was being done to clear up after the Napoli. |
| A decision will be made whether to re-float the ship after all the oil and containers have been removed. | |
| MSC NAPOLI | MSC NAPOLI |