Stricken cargo ship to be scrapped:

MV Carrier: Work continuing at the site on Saturday

A cargo ship, MV Carrier which ran aground in rough seas will be broken up and scrapped, the owners have said.

Two lifeboats and Royal Navy and RAF helicopters were involved in the rescue of seven Polish crew after the MV Carrier struck rocks near Colwyn Bay, north Wales, on Tuesday in heavy seas.

Two lifeboats helped rescue the crew of a cargo ship which ran aground at Colwyn Bay

Fuel is being removed from the ship by PGC Demolition of Heywood, Lancashire, over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The German shipping firm Reederei Erwin Strahlmann, which owns and manages the vessel, confirmed the ship was to be scrapped.

In a statement, the company said: "A structural assessment of MV Carrier has revealed severe damage and the vessel has been declared a constructive total loss. Accordingly, PGC Demolition has been awarded a second contract to demolish and remove the vessel. This task is already under way, the work running in parallel with the fuel removal operation.

The statement continues: "MV Carrier will be cut into manageable sections on the shore. These sections will be taken by road to a designated scrapyard. The demolition of the wreck is expected to take around 6 weeks, but the pace of operations will be dictated by safety considerations and the weather at the scene."

The ship, which is registered in Antigua and Barbuda and was carrying a cargo of stone, is now resting against concrete blocks on the beach at Llanddulas, which runs adjacent to the A55 which was re-opened on Thursday night.

The operation to remove around 35 tonnes of fuel from the vessel was launched on Thursday.

A "small quantity" of oil which was in use at the time seeped out of the 82-metre long vessel but the impact of the leak is expected to be "minimal", Environment Agency Wales said.

The company added that the crew members, who were uninjured, are expected to be repatriated home "as soon as possible".

Source: The Press Association. 7 April 2012

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