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On 19 January 2007, the ship was taken under tow by the [[salvage tug]] ''[[Abeille Bourbon]]'', later joined by ''[[Abeille Liberté]]''. The vessel was to be towed to [[Portland Harbour]] in [[Dorset]], {{convert|140|mi}} distant; the closer ports of [[Falmouth, Cornwall]] and [[Plymouth]], [[Devon]] were rejected in addition to others in France, although the Falmouth harbour master Captain Mark Sansom said he had confirmed that ''MSC Napoli'' could have been accommodated in Falmouth Bay.<ref name="environment.guardian.co.uk">{{cite news | first=Steven | last= Morris | title=Storm grows over Napoli's threat to world heritage coast | date=2007-01-27 | url =http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,1999977,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1 | work =Guardian Unlimited | access-date = 2007-01-30 | location=London}}</ref> [[Adrian Sanders]], [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for the parliamentary constituency of [[Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)|Torbay]] raised questions about why ''MSC Napoli'' was not taken to Falmouth or France.<ref>{{cite news | title= Most of Napoli's fuel oil removed | date=2007-01-31 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6317953.stm | work =BBC News OnLine | access-date = 2007-01-31 }}</ref>
The flotilla proceeded up the [[English Channel]]; with ''MSC Napoli'' increasing its list and with strong winds forecast refuge was taken in [[Lyme Bay]]. Lyme Bay is sheltered from northwest, west and southwest winds, common at that time of year. The ship’s deteriorating condition raised doubts about its ability to withstand the rigours of the journey to Portland. Robin Middleton, the Secretary of State's Representative in Maritime Salvage and Intervention who was leading the [[Maritime and Coastguard Agency|MCA]]'s salvage response team, decided to beach the ship in Lyme Bay. Mr Middleton said that the environmental sensitivities in the Lyme Bay area were fully assessed before the decision to beach ''MSC Napoli'' was made. He said, "The beaching location was selected based on minimising the impact of any spillage and enabling salvage work to remove the vessel and cargo to take place. The local authorities and environmental groups have been notified and all agencies are working together to ensure that pollution is minimised”.<ref>{{cite news | title=British Shipwreck Menaces World Heritage Devon Coast | date=2007-01-22 | url =http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2007/2007-01-22-01.asp | work =Environment News Service | access-date = 2007-01-29 }}</ref> Julian Wardlaw, who spoke for the Environment Group, an umbrella organisation for local green agencies, said Mr Middleton had contacted it and asked where in Lyme Bay was the best place to beach ''MSC Napoli''. Mr Wardlaw said: "We told them: 'Nowhere in Lyme Bay'. It is too important an environment."<ref name="environment.guardian.co.uk"/> However, at a subsequent public enquiry Wardlaw said he supported the decision to deliberately ground the stricken container ship off the East Devon coastline describing it as the ‘least worst option.’<ref>{{cite web |title=Napoli remembered |url=https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/napoli-remembered-10-years/#.YS3WDY5KiM8 |website=Dorset view |access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref>
The beaching location was at [[Branscombe]] around {{convert|1|mi}} off the Devon coast, near the coastal town of [[Sidmouth]].<ref name="bbc6282247">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6282247.stm|title=Pollution watch as ship beaches|author=BBC News|access-date=2007-01-23 | date=2007-01-20}}</ref> This area of the coastline where ''MSC Napoli'' was beached is a part of Britain's first natural [[World Heritage Site]], the [[Jurassic Coast]]. In winter Lyme Bay hosts large numbers of wintering sea birds whilst the sea bed was habitat for endangered species such as the [[Broad sea fan|pink sea fan]] and sunset cup coral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swbiodiversity.org.uk/Species/Pink_sf/Pink_sf.htm |title=Pink Sea Fan |access-date=2007-01-29 |work=Action for Biodiversity in the South-West |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701110357/http://www.swbiodiversity.org.uk/Species/Pink_sf/Pink_sf.htm |archive-date=1 July 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Leptopsammiapruvoti.htm |title=Sunset cup coral |access-date=2007-01-29 |work=[[Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN)]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Steven | last=Morris | title=Wildlife at risk from beached ship's oil | date=2007-01-26 | url =http://environment.guardian.co.uk/waste/story/0,,1999134,00.html | work =Guardian Unlimited | access-date = 2007-01-30 | location=London}}</ref>
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