Dismantlers tackle stricken ferry

The sister ship of the stranded Riverdance ferry is being inspected by workers to help formulate plans to dismantle the beached vessel.

The firm tasked with dismantling the ferry, which is grounded on a Blackpool beach, took over the site on Monday. The 2,600 tonne Riverdance is due to be stripped down before being cut into pieces and transported for recycling in an operation expected to take 14 weeks. Experts boarded sister ship the Moondance in Heysham on Monday. The Riverdance ran aground off the Lancashire coast in January after being hit by a freak wave as it sailed from Northern Ireland to Heysham. Hancock's Contractors in Heysham, Lancashire, has been awarded the contract to dismantle the Riverdance, which has now sunk about 4m (4.4yd) into the sand.

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