Wood from Wreck Wreaks Havoc in Worthing

Secure Site (UK) was successfully appointed as the security contractor by the salvage company to provide a security cordon along the Sussex coast to secure the salvaged timber and protect the public for the massive clear up operation.

When the stricken cargo ship the Ice Prince, ran into difficulty in heavy seas 26 miles from Portland bill on the Devon coast, who would have imagined the devastating effects the wreck would have on the Sussex coast line with some 2000 tonnes of wood washed up between Bognor Regis and Newhaven.

The Greek registered cargo vessel on route from Germany to Egypt, carrying over 5000 tons of unprepared Swedish sawn timber, shed its 2000 tons of deck cargo, when it began listing in the heavy seas.

Sparking an operation by the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency and RNLI life boats from Salcombe and Torbay, which successfully rescued the crew of twenty before the vessel finally sank on the 15th January 2008 without loss of life.

The deck cargo soon became “wood slick” several miles long which quickly moved up the channel turning the Sussex coastline into a dangerous timber yard.

Worthing was worst effected when hundreds of tons of timber washed up all along the shore line, several meters deep in places causing a massive headache for the local Council.

The salvage company soon realised that the scale of the problem and appointed Secure Site (UK) as the security contractor to maintain security and prevent the many hundreds of spectators who had travelled far and wide to witness the spectacle.

Worthing beach was closed and over 3km of temporary fencing was quickly erected between Worthing Pier and Goring to segregate the salvage area from the promenade and provide a safety cordon. Secure Site (UK) also mobilised a professional licensed security force to ensure the safety of the public and to prevent less scrupulous scavengers determined to profit from the wreck.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency warned that people who kept the washed up timber from the Ice Prince could be arrested and be fined up to £2500.00. Under the Merchant shipping Act 1995, it is an offence to conceal or keep possession of such cargo, or fail to report it.

It is thought that the operation is likely to go on for several weeks as the timber which is still being washed up, is collected and being chipped for use as fuel in power stations.