Two years after the MV Alta was shipwrecked off the south coast, the abandoned freighter has finally broken in two.
The so called 'ghost ship' made international headlines and attracted thousands of visitors to the remote coastal site near Ballycotton in east Cork.
Despite calls from locals to have the wreck removed, it remains in place, with experts saying at the time that it could cost over €10 million to remove and dispose of the 77-metre shipwreck.
The MV Alta had been adrift at sea for 496 days and had drifted over 2,300 nautical miles before it was impaled on rocks at Ballyandreen Bay, near Ballycotton as Storm Dennis battered Ireland in February 2020.
The passage of time and the elements have taken their toll - pounded in quick succession last month by Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin, the wreck has finally broken in two.
Major environmental concerns were triggered when the ship was driven onto the rocks.
In the days that followed, a major operation was carried out by Cork County Council to remove some 90 barrels of potential pollutants and an Inventory of Hazardous Materials found it didn't pose a significant long-term threat to marine life or the environment.
Last summer, Cork County Council informed the Department of Transport that it had discharged its duty under the Merchant Shipping (Salvage & Wreck Act) 1993, as did the Receiver of wreck who were unable to established ownership.
Cork County Engineer Kevin Morey said that from their perspective, they had a role to assess whether the Alta posed a risk to the marine and environment and related interests.
"Our initial response was to remove the oil, as everyone would have seen two years ago and subsequent to that, we had a series of reports carried out to understand what the ship was made of and whether that posed any risk to the environment and those reports have concluded that it didn't," Mr Morey said.
Asked today if there are any active plans to remove the wreck, the Department of Transport said in a statement that "it is monitoring the situation and continues to engage with Cork County Council on any further action as required".
It confirmed that it is currently commissioning a health and safety assessment of the wreck.
