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MSC Napoli insured by London P&I Club

Posted On: Jan. 23, 2007 12:00 AM CST

BRANSCOMBE, England— The MSC Napoli, which suffered structural damage in Winter Storm Kyrill, is insured by the London P&I Club.

The British ship suffered structural damage in the storms, and was deliberately run aground off the coast of Devon.

An estimated 150 containers have been washed overboard and there is the additional threat of pollution from the 3,850 tons of oil on board.

The chief executive of the London P&I Club has said that it would be "impossible to guess" the total worth of the insurance claims relating to the ill-fated ship.

The 68,200-ton cargo ship, which has been listing off the coast of Devon since last Thursday's storms, has been entered into the London P&I Club since 2002.

Paul Hinton, chief executive of the club, described the possible insurance claims as "fragmented", and pointed out that the London P&I Club only insured the owners against potential liabilities, rather than the loss of the ship.

Mr. Hinton said that more needed to be known regarding the cause of the accident before it would be possible to determine liability. But he added that the London P&I Club might have to contribute if there is insufficient value to pay for the salvage operation to be executed by Dutch company Smit.