This dramatic sequence of images shows salvage teams as they dismantled a cargo ship which ran aground in northwest France in just over a month.

The Maltese-registered TK Bremen ran aground on Kerminihy beach, southern Brittany, on December 16 during a winter storm - threatening the nearby coastline with a fuel spill.

Inspections of the vessel, built in 1982, found it was too badly damaged after hitting rocks to be towed back out to sea and a decision was made to dismantle it in case it broke up in bad weather.

Scrapped: The TK Bremen ran aground on Kerminihy beach, Erdeven, Brittany on December 16

Shipwreck: Inspections revealed the cargo ship was too badly damaged to be towed back out to sea

Going: Cranes using heavy duty cutting equipment started dismantling the ship from the bow and have no cut it up entirely

Using specialist cutting equipment, a series of cranes worked on the stranded vessel starting with the forecastle and bow before chopping through the thick hull plates.

A giant nature reserve of dunes and wildlife runs through the area near Erdevan, and there were fears the 220 tons of fuel on board the TK Bremen would spill into the water.

But the fuel was successfully pumped out and a decision made to scrap the vessel where it lies.

Damage: The Maltese-reigstered ship ran aground last month during a winter storm after attempting to anchor off the French coast

Holed: The vessel's hull had been breached several times after hitting rocks

Salvage: The 330ft vessel was broken apart and parts of it transported away by lorry

Cargo: The hull was cut through by specialist cranes as the vessel was broken apart

The TK Bremen had left the port of Lorient en route to the UK as the winter storm gathered strength.

It anchored off the Isle de Groix to wait for an improvement in the weather, but was unable to maintain its mooring and drifted on to the coast.

A spokesman for the maritime prefecture said at the time: 'We can't take the risk of towing it, as there is a danger of it breaking up and becoming more difficult to remove.

'Strictly-speaking, the ship owner has the right to repair the vessel where it lies, but it appears it struck several rocks and its hull has been perforated in several places.'

Metal: A workman cuts through the hull of the cargo vessel. There were fears when it ran aground last month that fuel could spill on to Brittany's beaches

Beached: A tiny part of the structure of the ship is left in the surf as it was systematically broken up over the last month

Danger: Kerminihy beach is in an environmentally-protected zone rich with wildlife

Operation: Engineers had to construct a metal road to place across the beach so heavy machinery could cut up the ship

Because of the environmentally-protected zone it was in, the ship had to be cut up and the pieces loaded on to trucks to be taken away.

Workers also had to install a metal roadway along the beach to get heavy lifting and cutting equipment.

Source: dailymail.co.uk; Wil Longbottom