if the refloating operation failed. The plan was to use mechanical winches to haul her upright, rather than relying upon flotation devices.

On 10 April 2008, it was announced that attempts to refloat her had been abandoned and that she was to be scrapped in situ. The contract to dismantle her was awarded to Hancock's Contractors, of Heysham. The work was expected to take about 12 to 14 weeks. One of the reasons for that decision was that Riverdance had suffered further