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| Ferry sheds thousands of biscuits | Ferry sheds thousands of biscuits |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thousands of packets of chocolate biscuits have washed up on the Lancashire shore from a stricken ferry. | Thousands of packets of chocolate biscuits have washed up on the Lancashire shore from a stricken ferry. |
| The McVitie's biscuits were being carried on lorries aboard the Riverdance, which ran aground off north shore near Blackpool on Thursday night. | The McVitie's biscuits were being carried on lorries aboard the Riverdance, which ran aground off north shore near Blackpool on Thursday night. |
| Four salvage team members are now carrying out a damage assessment after being lifted onboard the ship by an RAF helicopter on Saturday afternoon. | |
| The operation to refloat her is not expected to start until next week. | The operation to refloat her is not expected to start until next week. |
| Hugh Shaw, of the Maritime Salvage Agency, said: "It is a case of getting on board and checking what movements there have been and what damage has been caused, if any. | Hugh Shaw, of the Maritime Salvage Agency, said: "It is a case of getting on board and checking what movements there have been and what damage has been caused, if any. |
| The RAF, Royal Navy and Irish Coastguard took part in the rescue | The RAF, Royal Navy and Irish Coastguard took part in the rescue |
| "It will take time to gather the information, put a plan in place and get suitable tugs into the area to hopefully refloat the vessel. | "It will take time to gather the information, put a plan in place and get suitable tugs into the area to hopefully refloat the vessel. |
| "We are not looking at starting the salvage operation over the weekend." | "We are not looking at starting the salvage operation over the weekend." |
| A spokesman for Seatruck Ferries said two trucks of salvage equipment were expected to arrive from Rotterdam on Saturday morning. | A spokesman for Seatruck Ferries said two trucks of salvage equipment were expected to arrive from Rotterdam on Saturday morning. |
| He said the first stage of the salvage would be to remove fuel from the ship despite the fuel tanks being intact. | He said the first stage of the salvage would be to remove fuel from the ship despite the fuel tanks being intact. |
| Twenty-three people were flown to safety after the ferry was hit by a freak wave which caused it to list on Thursday night. | Twenty-three people were flown to safety after the ferry was hit by a freak wave which caused it to list on Thursday night. |
| The truck ferry was travelling from Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland to Heysham, Lancashire, when she ran into difficulty just before 2000 GMT. | The truck ferry was travelling from Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland to Heysham, Lancashire, when she ran into difficulty just before 2000 GMT. |
| Some of the ferry's cargo of 50 lorries broke chains holding them down and as the load shifted the vessel began to list at 60 degrees in conditions described as the roughest for a decade. | Some of the ferry's cargo of 50 lorries broke chains holding them down and as the load shifted the vessel began to list at 60 degrees in conditions described as the roughest for a decade. |
| Helicopters from the RAF, Royal Navy and Irish Coastguard battled mountainous seas and 60mph (96km/h) winds to rescue those on board. | Helicopters from the RAF, Royal Navy and Irish Coastguard battled mountainous seas and 60mph (96km/h) winds to rescue those on board. |
| Initially, four passengers and 10 of the crew were winched ashore, while the remaining nine crew tried to refloat the roll-on roll-off ferry. | Initially, four passengers and 10 of the crew were winched ashore, while the remaining nine crew tried to refloat the roll-on roll-off ferry. |
| But they too had to be pulled to safety. | But they too had to be pulled to safety. |