TALKS are planned this morning to discuss moving a stricken cargo ship on the Northumberland coast.

A meeting is to take place to decide when the MV Danio, which ran aground at the Farne Islands last Saturday, can be relaunched.

Those involved in salvaging the vessel had hoped it could be moved this weekend, but a poor weather forecast has cast some doubt over that plan.

The 80m-long, 1,800-tonne MV Danio was heading from Perth in Scotland to Antwerp in Belgium when it became caught on rocks at around 4.30am last Saturday.

The German-owned, Antigua-registered vessel, with a crew of six and carrying timber, was not thought to be badly damaged and there were no reports of any fuel leak.

The initial plan was to attempt to move it on Monday, however, poor weather and sea conditions saw that idea scrapped.

Those involved in the salvage operation then said they were planning an attempt from tomorrow, or this coming week, when the tides are higher. A meeting of the Government’s salvage official, the vessel’s owner and coastguards is to take place at Seahouses lifeboat station at 9.30am today to discuss when the attempt should take place.

RNLI spokesman Ian Clayton last night warned: “The weather forecast is not good at all and it is going to be a tricky operation to get it off.

“They do not want to make it more tricky by doing it in adverse weather.”

The crew of the Danio have been on board since the vessel grounded.

It is understood they have been interviewed by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch as part of its inquiry into how the ship became stranded.

The branch’s website says: “The vessel was seriously damaged, but no injuries or pollution have been reported.”

A spokeswoman at Marine Accident Investigation Branch refused to comment further.