MPs voicing concerns over Napoli

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Pressure is growing on the government over safety standards on UK-flagged ships following the grounding of the MSC Napoli off Lyme Bay.

A Commons motion has been signed by eight Labour MPs expressing concern.

The Napoli sailed under the British red ensign. MPs said they were concerned "such examples of sub-standard shipping" would spoil the UK's image.

The government said the UK register had one of the world's highest standards. The ship's owners declined to comment.

The Napoli was under tow to Portland, Dorset, after it was abandoned because holes appeared on either side of the vessel.

It was grounded near Branscombe beach in Devon on 20 January amid fears it would sink in bad weather.

It does send a message that they must have something to hide Mark Dickinson, Nautilus

It is expected it will take about a year to get the cargo off the vessel and then salvage or recover it.

The Commons motion - signed by John McDonnell, Gwyn Prosser, Bill Etherington, Katy Clark, Austin Mitchell, Jim Cousins, Bob Wareing and Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday - expressed concerns at the ship's beaching and expressed regret at the environmental damage caused.

It called on the government to urgently consult on measures to improve safety and working conditions on such vessels.

The motion added that the MPs "noted that the vessel also grounded in 2001, and the fact that the company has been blacklisted by the UK maritime unions".

East Devon MP Hugo Swire has also expressed similar concerns.

The ship was grounded after weather threatened to break it upAn investigation on BBC One South West's Inside Out programme has highlighted the long-standing concerns of shipping unions about the company.

Mark Dickinson of the union Nautilus said the organisation's relationship with Zodiac Maritime, the ship's owner, was "non-existent".

He said: "We've tried to contact them, but they don't appear to have any interest.

"It does raise suspicions because fundamentally it does send a message that they must have something to hide."

Zodiac Maritime has declined to comment.

The government said the UK register was recognised as having one of the highest standards in the world, and that attracting ships to it was part of its policy to rid the industry of sub-standard vessels.

Coastal victims

Meanwhile, some of the birds contaminated by oil from a grounded container ship could be released back into the wild by the end of the month, the RSPCA says.

The charity collected 988 birds in the wake of an oil spill from the Napoli since its grounding.

The birds were picked up along a coastal stretch from Torbay in Devon to Kimmeridge in Dorset.

It was hoped that some of the strongest and healthiest guillemots could be released within four weeks.

But research suggested that only 40% of the oiled guillemots will survive long enough to be released back into the wild.

<i>Inside Out, BBC One South West, Friday 2 February, 1930 GMT.</i>