DATELINE: 4 February, 2002

POLLUTION THREAT AT WHITSAND BAY
A 6,000-tonne cargo ship has run aground in storms at Whitsand Bay, Cornwall. The 16 crew of the Maltese-registered Kodima cargo vessel have been taken off and her cargo of timber has been washed overboard. Specialists from a Dutch salvage company have been winched aboard the ship to assess the damage. Currently her holds and engine room are flooded, but her fuel tanks, containing 500 tonnes of fuel oil, are intact. It is this fuel oil which poses the greatest pollution threat to the marine environment.
The operation to secure or remove the fuel is a race against time, as stormy conditions continue to batter the wreck.
The Whitsand Bay area is home to many popular dive sites.
Residents have expressed concern about the huge quantity of timber which is now piled up on local beaches. The Coastguard and the Receiver of Wreck have been warning the many people who are now removing the timbers that they must report their finds.

UPDATE
Tanker Willy, which had been stuck on rocks at Cawsand Bay, Plymouth, has now been refloated and taken to Falmouth for dry docking
Divers had been working to remove fuel oil from the vessel and patch up the hull. Once the hull was made sound, the vessel was refloated. The successful operation prevented pollution of the area, which includes several popular dive sites.

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