The Riverdance

The Ro-Ro ferry Riverdance, which went aground at Anchorsholme, between Little Bispham and Cleveleys, four weeks ago, is still on the beach and now that she has actually capsized and is no longer merely listing is highly unlikely to be salvable. I thought when I first saw her that she'll probably be cut up where she lies. She's protected from looters at low water by a ring of hi-vis jackets and flashing orange lights, and a four hundred metre 'exclusion zone'. Though ostensibly for public safety, the precautions are readily understable: the claims will amount to millions and everything on the beach will become the property of the insurers. It's all quite a spectacle for photographers, ship spotters and simple brainless gawpers alike but the loss must have caused some serious problems for the smaller hauliers. The insurance payout will take some time and some may go out of business, with perhaps catastrophic losses.