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Desperate bid to stabilise stricken ferry
SALVAGE crews face a desperate race against time as fears grow the stricken ferry Riverdance could topple into the sea.
The ship – which has become a tourist attraction since it ran aground just south of Cleveleys – has shifted in the sand in the last two days and is now listing precariously.
See our new gallery of the stricken ferry
Rescue crews say the tide has taken sand from underneath the roll-on, roll-off ferry and left it tilting at an 80-degree angle.
The next 24 hours are seen as crucial, while there is also concern the ship could cause flooding problems for local residents after coming aground near a main sewage pipe.
It is feared the "outfall" pipe, which is crucial for Thornton and Cleveleys' flood defences, could be damaged.
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A United Utilities' spokesman said: "There is a risk the outfall pipe could be damaged, or could pull away from the seawall when the ferry is recovered later. The pumping station plays a critical role in preventing flooding in the local Cleveleys area during heavy rain.
"Our engineers have been liaising with the salvage crews and monitoring the pumping station. We have also been working with Blackpool Council and the Environment Agency to prepare contingency plans in case the outfall pipe is damaged when the ferry is moved.
"These contingencies involve laying concrete barriers above the pumping station so that if there is heavy rain any stormwater can be pumped across the promenade and onto the beach.
"The stormwater would be mostly rainwater but with some sewage. While it's not ideal for this to be discharged directly on to the beach, it would be the only solution to avoid flooding of properties in Thornton, Cleveleys and Anchorsholme."
Thousands watched from the shore as salvage teams were airlifted on to the Riverdance on Saturday to begin the massive task of saving the 6,000 ton ship.
Its list has now got noticeably more severe, leading to fears it could topple over, sending its cargo of trucks into the sea.
A spokesman for the Coastguard Service said: "There has been a slight shift and it's now leaning over more. We do not know what will happen next.
"We cannot say that it will tip right over, but we cannot say that it will not. It's very much a waiting game."
Salvors drafted in from Holland are hoping to reduce the listing by pumping water into the ferry's ballast tanks as well as removing the 100 tons of fuel.
Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, said: "It's extremely dangerous for the salvors onboard."
Helicopters and lifeboats scrambled to the ferry at around 7.30pm on Thursday, after a freak wave hit the Heysham vessel seven miles off the Fylde coast in the storm-tossed Irish Sea.
The last of the 23 crew and passengers were winched off Friday after the ferry ran aground. It is now thought it could be beached for at least a week.
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Weather for Blackpool
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 30 mph
Wind direction: North west
