Nature Features

Devon and Cornwall are right in the firing line, when it comes to the threat of oil pollution from passing ships.

The two counties are on the edge of the world's busiest shipping channel, and the potential for disaster is ever present.

Past history tells us just how devastating a pollution incident can be.

The Torrey Canyon is the most infamous case. The oil tanker hit rocks off Land's End in 1967, spewing oil onto beaches along the Cornish coast and as far north as Hartland Point in North Devon and Start Bay on South Devon's coast.

The beautiful coast at Branscombe

The spill was an environmental disaster, as was the Rosebay incident off the South Hams in 1990. Again, thick oil covered large areas of the sea and came ashore on some of South Devon's most popular beaches, after a fishing boat collided with the tanker.

Birdlife and sealife in this sensitive area was also badly hit.

Then, the Willy ran aground just south of Plymouth, causing another oil spill.

In the latest incident, the London-registered MSC Napoli was deliberately run aground off Branscombe, amid fears it was about to sink after earlier suffering structural damage in storms 50 miles off the Cornish coast.

The 62,000 tonne container ship was being towed to Portland for salvaging on 19 January 2007 when the decision was taken to beach the vessel.

Hundreds of tonnes of oil leaked into the sea, and an operation was put into place to transfer the vessel's heavy fuel oil to other ships.

MSC Napoli just off Branscombe (Richard Barkley)

The freighter also started to shed some of its cargo, which included industrial and agricultural chemicals.

The East Devon coastline is among the most sensitive in Britain. Lyme Bay is home to coral reefs, important wildlife and seabird habitats, and the East Devon coast forms part of the Jurassic Coast world heritage site. 

The Devon Wildlife Trust has been offering advice about the habitats and species present in the area.

Following the disastrous Prestige oil disaster off Spain in 2002, the European Union launched a £4m project involving partners from the UK, France, Spain and Portugal.

Locally, Devon County Council and the Devon Wildlife Trust are heading the project, which will concentrate on taking precautions to prevent spills.

Clean-up measures are also being drawn up, so that the county will be better prepared in the event of a pollution incident.

Containers from MSC Napoli (Jess Douglas)

However, there are concerns that not enough is being done to protect our tourism beaches and important habitats from oil and chemical pollution.

Following the MSC Napoli incident, one local councillor in East Devon, Roger Giles, said greater protection is needed for Britain's environmentally sensitive coastal waters.

He has called on the Government to take the issue seriously.

"I've been pushing this issue for years through the county council. The Government should be doing something. It's doing very little, very slowly.

"After the Sea Empress disaster, the Donaldson Report made a whole list of recommendations. Twelve years later, and some of the recommendations still haven't been implemented, which is disgraceful."

Cllr Giles added: "Devon has two coastlines and we have called for the Government to designate them as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs). Only two small areas - off Plymouth, and off Torbay to Dartmouth, have that protection.

"Yet the East Devon coast is internationally important. It's a World Heritage Site.

"And with the amount of oil which is passing through the Channel, it's not a question of if, but when we get a pollution disaster."

Devon County Council discussed the issue of oil pollution just hours before the MSC Napoli incident happened.

Executive Member for the Environment, Councillor Margaret Rogers, said: "The County Council has been concerned about this issue and just such an incident off Lyme Bay illustrates why.

"By chance we debated this last Thursday (18 January) and it's right that extending co-operation with other local authorities can't be stressed enough. It is a matter that we have kept in our sights for a long time."