THE wreckage of the MSC  Napoli could be clear by August  after five vessels returned to the  East Devon  coast to continue the  salvage operation.

The collection of cranes,  barges, tugs and utility vessels   off  the Jurassic Coast   will be  joined by one further lift barge  on Saturday, to raise up the  remains of the  stricken vessel.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said once the  equipment was all in place, numerous tests would be carried  out before the remaining parts  of the Napoli were  removed.

A 500-metre total exclusion  zone remains around the  Napoli, which was beached at  Branscombe in January, 2007.  Three buoys mark the area  where the wreckage lies under  the water. The lifting and salvaging equipment, measuring  up to 140m in length, started to  appear over the bank holiday  weekend.

A lift barge, crane barge, two  tugs and a utility vessel are now  visible around the exclusion  zone.

Giant lifting chains have already been placed under the  stern section of the container  vessel.

The project is being overseen  by Global Response Maritime  BV of The Netherlands.

The team used a pioneering  technique to dig under the  wreck and put 12 lifting chains  into position under the  3,800-tonne stern of the Napoli.

A series of 24 chain-pullers,  installed on the flat-top barges,  will now be connected to the  lifting chains on location.

 A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency  said: “It is anticipated that everything will be in place by early June.

“There will be some testing of  the equipment, then the operation will take place to lift and  cut up the Napoli and put it on  the barges to be taken away. It  should all be completed by August.”

The MSC Napoli was damaged about 50 miles off the  Lizard during a  storm in January, 2007.

 She was initially going to be  towed to Portland in Dorset, but  had to seek refuge in Lyme Bay,  where she was beached deliberately.

Around 20 containers from  the 62,000-tonne vessel —  grounded within sight of the  shore — washed up on the beach  at Branscombe and attracted  hundreds of looters.