Riverdance ferry will be scrapped

9:57am Tuesday 25th March 2008

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The owners of the Riverdance ferry have admitted the vessel will be scrapped after it is eventually removed from the Fylde coast.

Efforts are still ongoing to refloat the ferry, but Seatruck Ferries Ltd, have declared that the Riverdance will never sail again A spokesman for Seatruck said: "She has been declared a constructive loss and will not return to service.

"She suffered very significant damage during the last bout of bad weather.

"The plan is still to remove her in one piece, but she will be scrapped after that."

A meeting between the salvage team, the boat's owners and their insurance company was scheduled for last week, but that was postponed, and an announcement on the vessel's future remains more than a week away.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCGA) said: "Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, is currently looking at all options available, and is talking them through with the salvors and insurance company.

"We are still hopeful that the boat will be refloated in some form."

The ferry ran aground south of Cleveleys on January 31 after being hit by a freak wave during a storm.

Thousands of people have visited the area to see the stricken ferry, including over the Easter holiday.