Race to salvage stricken trawler

The Spinngdale has fish, oil and stores on board

Salvagers appointed to remove a wrecked fishing boat from Hirta, St Kilda, are facing a race against the clock.

Netherlands-based Mammoet Salvage said its intention was to recover the trawler and clean up any pollution before the bird breeding season begins.

The remote St Kilda archipelago is one of the most important seabird habitats in the world.

The Spinningdale ran aground on rocks last month. Its crew was airlifted to safety by a coastguard helicopter.

In a statement, the salvagers said: "Mammoet Salvage will have to work very carefully and effectively in order to complete the order within the foreseeable future.

"In the first instance, materials that could cause damage to the local flora and fauna will be removed."

The company recovered the wreck of the Kursk, a Russian nuclear submarine which sank in August 2000 with the loss of 118 crew.