A ship that was deliberately beached off Southampton was carrying 1,200 sports cars and upmarket 4x4s made by UK-based manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, as well as BMW Minis and JCB diggers. The 180-metre vessel, which is being assessed for stability before a salvage operation can be carried out, belongs to a fleet of 60 car carriers run by Norway-based Höegh Autoliners and is registered in Singapore. More ON THIS TOPIC UK current account deficit hits joint record UK trade deficit narrows in October Heathrow holds key to UK trade revival Trade deficit jumps to £2.8bn IN UK BUSINESS Birmingham revamp to transform shopping Finance chiefs cautious on economy City jobs rise strongly in final quarter Walkie Talkie takes on towering presence Sign up now firstFT FirstFT is our new essential daily email briefing of the best stories from across the web All 25 crew members on the Höegh Osaka were rescued after the ship ran into trouble on Saturday night in the Solent between Southampton and the Isle of Wight. The ship, which was about one-third full, contained a consignment of about 1,400 passenger vehicles and construction equipment — including some of the UK’s most successful exports. JLR said its Range Rovers and Jaguars made up the vast majority of those vehicles, which could be worth up to £60m, assuming an average selling price of £50,000. The Indian-owned manufacturer said it was not yet aware of the scale of the damage to the vehicles, which are usually strapped down in transit, but added that it was fully insured to cover any loss. BMW confirmed on Monday that 65 Minis destined for customers in the Middle East were on board. The German carmaker also said it had yet to ascertain the vehicles’ condition, and added that there were no BMW-branded cars on the stricken vessel. Earthmoving equipment company JCB said 80 of its machines en route to dealers in the Middle East were on the ship. “We are awaiting further information from the shipping carrier about the current status of the machines and any plans they may have for retrieval,” JCB said. Bentley, the luxury British car marque, confirmed that it had no vehicles on board, despite early reports. Associated British Ports said that vessel traffic in and out of Southampton had been largely unaffected by the grounding, as the Osaka was lying outside a shipping lane. A 200m exclusion zone had been set up around the ship on Sunday evening. However, depending on the nature of the salvage operation, disruption could be possible over the coming day Ingar Skiaker, chief executive of Höegh Autoliners, said none of the 500 tonnes of fuel oil on board had leaked from the vessel, which is lying at a severe angle on the Bramble Bank. In 2008 the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth II, with 1,700 passengers on board, ran aground on the same bank. It was pulled clear when the tide rose. “Our vessel developed a severe list shortly after she left port and the pilot and the master took the decision to save the vessel and its crew by grounding her on the bank,” Mr Skiaker said. “This showed great skill and seamanship on behalf of our crew when faced with such challenging circumstances. “At this stage it is too early to speculate on the cause of the list but we are starting an immediate investigation.” Our vessel developed a severe list shortly after she left port and the pilot and the master took the decision to save the vessel and its crew by grounding her on the bank - Ingar Skiaker, Höegh Autoliners chief executive Svitzer, the salvage company, has been appointed by Höegh, and a representative told the BBC that the operation to right the vessel could take several days. Another Höegh vessel — the Höegh London — was detained in Southampton for two days in September because it did not meet the International Safety Management code. The Höegh Osaka is one of 768 such vessels that operates globally in an industry that has thrived as growth in car exports has outstripped capacity. Southampton is the UK’s largest port for car imports and exports, moving 745,000 vehicles last year. In 2006 a car carrier owned by Mitsui OSK Lines, a Japanese transport company, spent nearly a month bobbing at a 60-degree angle in the North Pacific with 4,703 new Mazdas on board before it was recovered. Mazda destroyed the cars despite them suffering no visible damage because any undetectable damage would have left the company liable in later accidents. Meanwhile, the search for the eight missing crew members of a sunken cargo ship in Scottish waters has been suspended. A big search effort was mounted after the upturned hull of the Cypriot-registered Cemfjord cement carrier was spotted in the Pentland Firth, north Scotland, on Saturday. Lifeboats were stood down during Sunday and returned to shore.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:07:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015