Almost three weeks after a car carrier was dramatically beached on a sandbank off the British coast, the huge vessel is due to be towed back to port on Thursday afternoon.
The 51,000-tonne ship, Hoegh Osaka, which has a cargo of 1,400 cars and 105 pieces of construction equipment, was beached deliberately on The Brambles sandbank when it began listing shortly after leaving Southampton.
As salvage teams puzzled over how to right it, the vessel re-floated of its own accord and was towed to a safe anchorage where it was held steady by tugs while water was pumped out of it and repairs done.
According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) the vessel was stable enough to be shepherded back to port. An MCA spokesperson said: “The vessel list is now at five degrees. This means that the vessel will now move from alpha anchorage at 15.45 (approximately). The Hoegh Osaka is scheduled to arrive at berth 101 in Southampton port at 19.00 (approximately).”
During the towing operation there will be air and sea exclusions around the vessel so no other craft interfere with it. Four tugs are expected to help bring the ship in, assisted by two pilots and the ship’s master. The salvage team will remain in charge of the ship until it is safely berthed.
The vessel began listing as it left Southampton on 3 January and floated free from the sandbank on the high tide on 7 January. Its cargo includes Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, 65 Mini cars and 105 pieces of JCB construction equipment.
A major rescue operation led to 24 crew members and a pilot taken to safety by coastguard helicopter and RNLI lifeboats. Two people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
An investigation is under way to establish why the vessel began listing in the first place.
