Police warn scavengers to stay away from shipwreck

LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) Police warned scavengers to stay away from the site of a shipwreck on the southern English coast as efforts began today to clear the beach of debris.

Scores of people have flocked to Branscombe in Devon to help themselves to goods from beached cargo containers washed up from the MSC Napoli -- including a BMW motorcycle, shoes and wine.

The container ship was abandoned by its crew after being holed during storms last Thursday. It was deliberately run aground to stop it from sinking.

Police said roads leading to the beach would be closed to all traffic except for local residents.

Heavy lifting equipment is to be moved down to the beach to begin removing the containers and other goods, and officers said the area would be dangerous and advised the public to stay away.

As the coastguard fought to contain the stricken ship's oil on Monday, more than 200 people roamed the beach, littered with wooden barrels and large metal containers filled with everything from car parts to nappies.

There was at least one blue BMW motorcycle, still in its cardboard wrapping, worth some 15,000 pounds (29,610 dollars).

Under the Merchant Shipping Act, salvage remains the property of the original owner. Anyone who finds washed up goods must contact a government official, called the receiver of the wreck, within 28 days.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said people could be charged with theft if they failed to report the salvage they take from the beach. Spokesman Mark Clark said the scavengers were guilty of ''crass greed''.

''They have quadrupled our task,'' he told media.

''People are lighting fires beside the containers, getting on top of them ripping stuff out, and not heeding our warnings.

''The MCA is deeply upset and angry because all the stuff which has been ripped out of the containers will be swept out to sea and have an environmental impact.'' The Napoli is listing at between 18 and 25 degrees and has already lost waste oil and more than 100 of its 2,400 containers into the sea. About 200 tonnes of oil have leaked but the MCA said this did not pose a major environmental threat.

Coastguards said salvage teams hoped to be able to start pumping out the remaining 3,000 tonnes of fuel oil in the ship's tanks yesterday, but experts warned this may take several days.

The British-flagged Napoli, built in 1991, was bound from Belgium to Portugal when it was holed. Its 26 crew took to a lifeboat and were winched to safety by a helicopter.

In 2001, the same ship, then named the Normandie, ran onto a coral reef in the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Sumatra, heavily loaded and at full speed.

It remained stuck for several weeks before being towed away for repairs that included welding more than 3,000 tonnes of metal onto the hull.

REUTERS DKA DS1340