There are no signs of the wrecked vessel as the tide rolls out, but parts of the port side remain under the sand.

And it could be another seven weeks before contractors can clear it away and declare the job over.

PGC Demolition is now using diggers to reach the last pieces of the ship, with workmen working below ground level with cutting torches to get the metal out.

After that there will be four weeks of sonar scanning and raking of the site to ensure not a fragment remains.

Project manager Mark Quinn said: "The main structure has gone. All that is left in the sand is part of the port side it was lying on, so from the beach there is very little to see.

"It has gone on as long as it has because we've been asked to be meticulous to ensure there were no accidents or pollution.

Riverdance has been beached opposite Anchorsholme Park since it was hit by a freak wave on January 31 during a journey from Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland to Heysham.

Twenty three crew and passengers were airlifted to safety during a dramatic air and sea rescue. No-one was injured during the massive operation.

The decision to break up the ship was taken after more than two months of efforts to refloat it failed, largely due to bad weather.

Salvage operations have been hampered by the weather with workers having to abandon their efforts due to high winds and rain.

The stricken ferry has attracted thousands of tourists to the area with local businesses experiencing a huge increase in trade over the first few weeks of its appearance.

So far the work has taken 18 weeks and the metal has gone to scrapyards, the main one being in Liverpool. The two 40-ton engines were salvaged and sent to be a company in the North East for parts.
Mr Quinn explained they had to overcome a number of obstacles to remove the Seatrucks vessel.

He said: "Touch wood, we've not had one reportable accident, we've not lost any pollutants or oil – it couldn't have gone better.

"The tidal implications caught us by surprise, having to work in five or six-hour windows or just an hour at times. Sometimes you can't work at all.

"It isn't the biggest job we have done but it is the biggest maritime job we have ever done and the most high profile job – and we've had some good press out of it!"