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Trucks slip off stricken ferry



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Published Date: 06 February 2008
TRUCKS have slipped from the stricken ferry Riverdance sending more of the vessel's cargo into the sea.
Several containers fell off the port side of the 6,000 ton ship yesterday afternoon as it continues to dangerously list on Blackpool beach.

See our gallery of Riverdance pictures: Updated daily

The grounded ship, which has been leaning at up to an 80 degree angle since the weekend, began moving at high tide sending five or six trailers crashing into the water.

Timber, insulating fibreglass and scrap metal is now washing up on the shoreline, just south of Cleveleys.

The trucks fell as cranes arrived on site. Salvage crews are now trying to refloat the ferry.

Riverdance beached after it was hit by a freak wave last Thursday while en route from Northern Ireland to Heysham. Passengers and crew were airlifted to safety.

After yesterday's truck fall, Joanne Groenenburg, from the Maritime and Coastguard Authority, said: "It has not caused any problem for the salvage crew who continue to take equipment on to the ship.

Riverdance archives
Business booming as crowds flock in to see ferry
Sightseers risk lives walking under toppling ferry
Riverdance passenger: "I'm going to die"
Firms count cost of lost cargo

People need to be careful because some of the metal may wash up on the beach. It could be very sharp.

"With all the heavy equipment we are now using it is really important people don't get inside the exclusion zone."

The Gazette revealed yesterday how more than 50 sightseers put themselves in danger after breaking through police cordons to get to the ship on Monday afternoon.

Beach clearing work will continue today as officials warned visitors to the Cleveleys coastline to alert police if they spot shards of aluminium washing up outside the 400-metre exclusion zone.

More Riverdance stories
The Fylde coast - A graveyard for ships
Desperate bid to stabilise stricken ferry
Riverdance video: RNLI lifeboat
It could be here for days
Dramatic airlift from stricken ferry
'They risked their lives for others' safety'
Seagulls celebrate as tasty cargo washed up
Trucks slip off stricken ferry
Business booming as crowds flock in to see ferry

The full article contains 365 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 06 February 2008 10:20 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Blackpool
 
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1

,

06/02/2008 14:22:42
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
2

,

06/02/2008 14:51:48
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
3

Nic8,

06/02/2008 15:52:20
I would like to point out to the reader who has had his comment reported as 'unsuitable' that the 50 sightseers who broke through the cordoned off area were, as stated 'sightseers'.

They were not there to loot the boat as you imply from the torrent of abuse you wrote about 'Northerners'.

We were not 'after what we could get' when we were risking lives to pull you & your mother off from the boat!
4

Frustrated,

St Annes 06/02/2008 16:43:46
Having sees the ferry at high tide yesterday there was a lot of spray and quite strong waves and a very precarious looking ship. It was only a matter of time before more cargo dropped. And I'd rather have as few people put in peril as possible. If removing the containers is dangerous (and it must at this stage be like a game of kerplunk) there is no urgent need for anything to be done until it can be worked out how to do this safely.
5

mouman,

north shore 06/02/2008 17:41:51
I've just passed by the scene of the Riverdance on the top deck of a number 1 bus. The number of people clearly flouting the exclusion zone is astounding, many even underneath the vessel where cargo is falling.

It's these same muppets blocking local roads, and who on Sunday took it upon themselves to park on the grassland on the cliffs i.e. our public open space (subsequently moved on by Police). If I knew where they lived I'd love to park on their flower beds.

It would be a good move were they to return to their usual site of infestation, where clearly the rule of law is an irrelevance. On the other hand were the vessel to topple onto them, that would be just fine by me.

As it is these imbeciles are simply hampering the salvage operation, and diverting resources to the protection of fools. Let it crash onto them.
6

mouman,

north shore 06/02/2008 19:45:42
Oops! I forgot! If there were not an exclusion zone, in the event of death or injury, there would then be both blame, and the undoubted claim......
7

,

06/02/2008 19:58:48
Comment Reported Unsuitable By User
8

David C,

07/02/2008 00:10:41
Could they have not got a crane partway down and lifted them trucks off? surely the size of Cranes they have now a days the could of done that, or even strapped the cargo up, big metal boards attached to the side to stop them falling off. The Longer this goes on the more I expect to read about polution. Sea gulls UK wide will have their Sat Navs programmed in for Blackpool. Its not just the ship that a problem the stuff washed off it, will be feeding rats and sea gulls and everything.
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