AFTER five weeks at sea, an international spat between Britain and the US and a costly High Court battle, the first two vessels in the Ghost Fleet will arrive in the North-East today.

First to arrive will be the Caloosahatchee, a veteran of the US Sixth Fleet, which once refuelled aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean.

Shortly after, it will be joined by the Canisteo (motto: "If Freedom Were Easy We Wouldn't Be Here"), a veteran of the Cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam conflict, off the coast of Teesside.

The once-proud pair have suffered the indignity of being towed across the Atlantic by tugs - one named Englishman - to the yard which may or may not be their final resting place.

Their arrival will be greeted by a storm of protest by campaigners who claim the ships - part of the US Naval Reserve Fleet - pose an unacceptable pollution risk.

As they sailed across the ocean, the British Government changed its mind about dismantling rusting US Navy ships in the Hartlepool yard operated by Able UK and said they should be sent back.

The call came too late, and now the ships, plus two more following in their wake, will be stored here until their fate is decided.

They will be moored at Grathorp Dock, in Hartlepool, pending a legal battle that will decide if Able UK can honour its £11m deal to dismantle them.

The port authority expects the first vessel will take up to three hours to manoeuvre into place.

Martyn Pellew, of PD Teesport, which manages the shipping movement, said overnight winds were expected to drop to safe levels this morning.

Three tugs will be used to bring the ship from a buoy four kilometres off the mouth of the Tees, while the other will remain in the open sea tonight.

Mr Pellew said there was not enough daylight to bring both ships in on the same high tide.

He expected the Teesside public will get its first glimpse of the ghost ship's arrival at about midday.

The Environment Agency said it would be making regular checks on the vessels once they have docked to make sure no dismantling takes place.

But the agency's chief executive said the ships posed no greater risk to public health than other vessels going in and out of British waters daily.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency will check the vessels have survived their journey safely and do not pose an environmental risk.