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Cork County Council Continues Monitoring Environmental Impact of Ship Grounding A Year Ago

16th February 2021
Shipwreck One Year On: MV Alta, the cargo ship (which was abandoned) grounded in Ballyandreane, Ballycotton. In March and October last year, structural assessments were carried and another assessment is being carried out this month for potential enivomental impacts posed by the shipwreck. Shipwreck One Year On: MV Alta, the cargo ship (which was abandoned) grounded in Ballyandreane, Ballycotton. In March and October last year, structural assessments were carried and another assessment is being carried out this month for potential enivomental impacts posed by the shipwreck. Credit: Irish Examiner-twitter

MV Alta, the cargo ship that grounded on the coast at Ballyandreane, Ballycotton a year ago, is according to Cork County Council to be continuing in monitoring the potential environmental and ecological impact posed by the wreck.

The vessel was grounded on February 16 of last year.

Since then, the council said it has been working on a series of actions on the MV Alta, in line with obligations under the Merchant Shipping Salvage and Wreck Act, 1993.

In February 2020, work was done to mitigate the potential pollution risk posed by oils on board the vessel. (Afloat adds, also that year there were plans to salvage the cargoship). 

In March and October, structural assessments of the ship were carried out. Another assessment is being carried out this month.

The council said a final report on the environmental and ecological assessment the wreck was completed last September.

Then, in December 2020, and last month, a team of international specialist consultants carried out an inventory of hazardous materials contained within the fabric of the vessel itself.

More from the Irish Examiner here. 

Published in Coastal Notes
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

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