A CARGO ship that ran aground near a lighthouse in a North-East wildlife haven has been successfully recovered.

The MV Danio was heading from Perth in Scotland to Antwerp, Belgium, when it got caught on rocks in the Farne Islands, three miles off the Northumberland coast, at 4.30am on Saturday, March 16.

The vessel, carrying timber, was not thought to be badly damaged and there were no reports of any fuel leak after it got stuck on the Blue Caps, close to the Longstone Lighthouse.

The 80m long vessel was safely pulled clear of the Islands during the early hours of this morning by the powerful tug Lomax.

David Steel, head ranger on the Farne Islands, said: “It is huge relief that everything has gone smoothly with the operation.

“It’s a great result for everyone concerned and now we can concentrate on our seabirds and welcoming visitors as we open for the season this weekend.”

“The Farnes are internationally-important for nesting sea birds. We have 80,000 pairs of sea birds including 37,000 pairs of puffins.”

Earlier attempts to free the ship were postponed because of bad weather.

The vessel was built in 2001 and registered in the Caribbean.