St Kilda wreck to be cut up

Back in February of 2008, a trawler (the Spinningdale) was forced on to the rocks of Hirta, the main island of the St Kilda archipelago, and wrecked, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel and be winched off to safety. Since then, the majority of the removable nasties have been removed to avert the pollution danger, and there was even a scare story about rats on board infesting the island, to keep the tabloids happy, but there were none (on the island that is, we can’t speak for any of the tabloids though).

At the time, the decision was taken to leave the wreck in place. The waters where it lay were shallow and hazardous, making access difficult, and possibly causing more damage than the presence of the wreck. The plan was to monitor, and review the decision in the light of any developments, and we wondered if it would still be newsworthy if there were any later changes to the plan.

It seems that changes have taken place, and they remained newsworthy.

The wreck of the Spinningdale had been securely lodged where it settled, however, after lying exposed to the St Kilda weather, the wreckage is reported to have worked its way free, and was considered to have become a threat to the island’s coastline and pier, and to passing boats.

A Spanish salvage crew (the trawler was Spanish) has arrived to cut up and remove the 170 tonne wreck, and will be accommodated on the island for the duration of the work. They were transported there, together with a lorry, on the MV Elektron, which transports supplies to the island and can land vehicles on to the beach using its bow ramp. Salvaged material will be winched from the wreck to the beach, and then transported by lorry for storage. The work is planned for completion by October, when all the material recovered from the wreck will be transported off the island.

National Trust for Scotland (NTS) property manager Susan Bain said, “The wreck will be safely and systematically dismantled, restoring the St Kilda seascape to its picturesque best.”