Suitcase In 1,000 Mile Round-Trip Back To British Beach

PILLAGING PIRATES

The remains of Swedish couple Anita and Jan Bokdal's possessions are pictured on the beach at Branscombe in Devon, in southern England, 23 January 2007, following the beaching of the cargo ship MSC Napoli. A Swedish couple who feared their heirlooms were looted from a beached ship in Britain after spotting one of their boxes in newspaper photographs will get some of them back, authorities said Tuesday. Anita and Jan Bokdal's possessions were being transported from Sweden to their winery in South Africa on board the MSC Napoli. And when they saw a picture of one of their boxes with a hole in it on the beach at Branscombe, south-west England, they feared that scavangers who trawled the beach Monday had made off with its contents forever. Photo courtesy AFP.

by Staff Writers
London (AFP) Jan 27, 2007
A British woman who shipped her boyfriend's suitcase to him in South Africa was shocked to find his belongings had turned up on a beach two miles from her home after a cargo ship was grounded nearby, the Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. Marilyne Simony's boyfriend, Kobus Pretorius, moved back to Pretoria after his visa expired and she paid 140 pounds (212 euros, 274 dollars) for his books, clothes and photographs to be sent to him.

But six weeks later, after the MSC Napoli spilt dozens of containers off the south-west coast of England, a colleague of Simony spotted a framed photograph of the couple in pictures of debris on Branscombe beach, the paper said.

The suitcase would have been shipped from Simony's home in Sidmouth, Devon to Antwerp, Belgium, where it was loaded on to the ship, before ending up back in Devon -- a journey of about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres), the Times newspaper reported.

Simony has not been able to recover the suitcase and has now appealed for its return.

The beach became a magnet for beachcombers and the media this week as looters made off with everything from BMW motorbikes to nappies from the ship's containers.

"It is crazy and weird that this suitcase went so far and ended up back on my doorstep," Simony told the Telegraph.

The 62,000-tonne Napoli was grounded on the World Heritage coastal site a week ago during a tow from mid-channel to Portland, Dorset, because of fears she would sink.

The ship's hull had been damaged in a storm and her 26-member crew were rescued by helicopter after they abandoned ship.

Source: Agence France-Presse

PILLAGING PIRATES

Salvagers Set To Lift Containers From Stricken Ship

London (AFP) Jan 25, 2007
Barge crews will start at the weekend to remove more than 2,000 containers from the stricken cargo vessel MSC Napoli which is grounded off the south coast of England, the ship's managers said Thursday. Two giant barges, one from the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the other from Rouen in France, were heading across the Channel to carry out the operation, said Zodiac Maritime Agencies of London.

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