Call for ship owner to fund beach container clean-up

An MP has called for a cargo ship's owner to pay for debris to be cleaned up from Sussex beaches after 16 containers fell into the Solent.

The containers fell from the Baltic Klipper cargo ship at the weekend, with seven washing up in Selsey, two at Pagham Harbour and two at Bognor Regis.

Alison Griffiths, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said she was "firmly pressing" to ensure the bill was "met by the vessel's operators and their insurers".

Seatrade, which owns the ship, said its protection and indemnity liability insurers had been "actively engaged from the outset to ensure that all necessary resources and expertise are available to assist with the response and recovery operations".

They added: "Comprehensive insurance cover remains in place, underpinning Seatrade's commitment to ensure the safe completion of the recovery and disposal operations."

Dozens of volunteers have been clearing debris since the incident, but they said more arrived with each high tide and it was unclear how the containers would be removed.

Griffiths said teams helping to clear the debris had moved past the initial "make safe" phase and were doing slower, more detailed work.

Work to secure the containers already on land was also ongoing so that they did not end up back in the sea.

An aircraft is being used by HM Coastguard to scan the area to find the remaining containers.

Griffiths said: "If you're helping with the clear-up, please take care.

"Some of the debris is sharp, and certain spots may be taped off while the teams work.

"The advice is to avoid going out alone and to keep clear of the waterline."

West Sussex County Council previously said the clean-up would "take some time", but could not confirm how long work was expected to last or how containers would be removed from the beaches.

A spokesperson for the council, which is leading the multi-agency operation, said it had brought in environmental management company Ambipar to use "established shoreline clean up assessment techniques to quantify, collect and categorise the waste".

Seatrade said it also continued to cooperate closely with UK authorities, including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and local councils, to recover the remaining containers.

"Offshore searches are ongoing for any remaining containers in a collaborative effort between authorities and assets mobilised on behalf of Seatrade and their insurers," the company added.

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