COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) -- Salvage barges that will serve as a work platform for cutting up and hauling away the remaining wreckage of the cargo ship New Carissa from the beach are due to arrive this week.

If all goes according to plan, Titan Salvage of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., should start removing the wreckage in May and be done by October, leaving behind only the portion that is buried too deeply in the sand underneath the pounding surf, said Louise Soliday, director of the Department of State Lands, which is overseeing the work.

KGW File Photo

Wreckage from the New Carissa on Oregon's Coast.

The 660-foot Panamanian-registered ship ran aground in February, 1999, after dragging anchor while waiting to enter Coos Bay for a load of wood chips. After the Coast Guard set it on fire in an attempt to consume the oil leaking from its fuel tanks, the hull broke apart in the surf. The bow came ashore near Waldport and later was towed out to sea and sunk, but the stern remained mire in the sand.

The state sued ship owners Green Atlas Shipping for negligent trespass and ultimately was paid $22.1 million for damages. The money covers the $16.4 million cost of removing the wreckage, as well as restoration work and legal fees.

Background: Plans to scrap Carissa under fire

The barges will be moored in Empire while a staging area is prepared on the North Spit near the wreckage. Plans call for using a bulldozer to winch first one barge into place near the wreckage, then the second, said Soliday.

The barges will be jacked up on legs sunk deep into the sand to hold them steady in the surf. Then an aerial tramway will be built to ferry workers and materials from land to the barges. The hull will be cut apart and moved by crane to the barges, then shipped to a recycler.

A bypass road will be built to allow hikers, horses and vehicles to continue using the North Spit while the work goes on. However, temporary closures can be expected at times.