The container ship Kea Trader which has been stuck on a reef off New Caledonia for several months has split in half.
The Kea Trader Photo: AFP
The French High Commission says the vessel was evacuated before it broke up.
The Kea Trader ran aground in as yet unexplained circumstances on the Durand Reef near Mare on a voyage from Papeete to Noumea in July.
The nearly new Maltese-flagged vessel was emptied of its fuel in subsequent weeks.
Most of its cargo was then offloaded in a lengthy and costly operation in the hope of refloating the nearly 200 metre long ship.
However, this failed and a month ago, it was announced that the ship woud be scrapped.
