Hundreds of tons of timber washed up on Sussex beach after cargo ship sinks

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To some, it is a reminder of the awesome power of the sea, which can toss a 6,395-ton ship like a rubber duck and drag its cargo away to line its beaches.

To others, it looks like a new kennel for the dog, or maybe a treehouse for the kids.

The planks in the shipwreck forest along the West Sussex coast may have been warped and damaged by the salt water which brought them there, but scavengers have still been turning out to take them home.

Yesterday, authorities closed the beaches and warned beachcombers to stay away. They are keen to avoid a repeat of the looting in Devon almost a year ago when BMW motorbikes were washed up on the sand.

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Tide of timber: The crowd views the clean-up at Worthing seafront

The massive clearance operation to salvage the cargo of the Ice Prince has begun, but is expected to take weeks or even months. Planks and bundles of wood are floating several feet deep along the tide line at Worthing, West Sussex.

Receiver of Wreck Alison Kentuck said that some onlookers had already been taking "the odd plank", but they were more worried about those with vans who intended to take away a large quantity. She said it was "inevitable" that some wood would be taken, but added: "We are trying to keep it to a minimum."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has warned that anyone who removes the cargo could be fined up to £2,500 under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

Thousands of tons of untreated saw timber from Scandinavia was sitting on the deck of the Ice Prince when she hit rough weather off Portland Bill in Dorset last week. Her cargo shifted and she listed to 40 degrees off the coast, before drifting east and sinking on Tuesday. Twenty crew had to be rescued by helicopter and lifeboat.

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Plankton: Hundreds of tons of timber from the stricken Ice Prince have washed up on a ten-mile stretch of coastline

The ship, which was bound for Egypt, was also carrying lubricating oils in the engine space, around 423 tons of fuel oil and 123 tons of marine diesel oil.

Plans to recover the oil and 2,742 tons of timber still in the hold of the Greek-registered vessel are being discussed by the owners. Though the wood in the hold - and that on the beach - can no longer be sold for any structural use, it could do for paper or sawdust.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman Fred Caygill said: "The ship's owners have acted responsibly in organising a clear-up operation, and the owners of the cargo are trying to organise a purchase of the washed-up wood."

Of more immediate concern is the danger to traffic on the water from the planks still floating about. Worthing council's chief executive, Ian Lowrie, said: "Our biggest worry is the windsurfers and kite surfers. If they hit timber at the speeds they go it could be very nasty.

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Contractors appointed by the Receiver of Wreck today began to use mechanical equipment to take the timber away in lorries

"We have handed out leaflets warning of the dangers, and put notices on surfing websites."

Efforts are being made to assess whether any more of the cargo will come ashore. The timber is being monitored in the English Channel and small boats have been warned of the dangers of "sightseeing" the lost goods.

Last January the freighter Napoli lost 200 containers during a fierce storm. Hundreds of scavengers flocked to the beach at Branscombe in Devon to try and retrieve plunder including 17 BMW motorbikes, car parts, beauty cream, barrels and disposable nappies.

The sawn timber in 20ft-33ft-long bundles was deck cargo on the Greek-registered ship 'Ice Prince'

 

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