Salvers working on the stricken car ship, Hoegh Osaka, are toiling in semi-darkness to establish the condition of the 1,300 vehicles on board as forecast winds of 55mph tomorrow (10 January) threaten to hamper any quick solution to the situation.
The giant 51,000t vessel is currently in Southampton water after being towed from a bank onto which it was deliberately rammed last Saturday (3 January) following development of a severe list, with salvers, Svitzer, battling to pump out 3,000t of water and assess the condition of the cars bound for German and Middle East destinations.
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“It is a very dark ship [with] big spaces – you can imagine what it is like,” a Svitzer spokesman told just-auto from London. “They have lights of course, but they don’t have full lighting.”
Jaguar Land Rover has around 1,200 vehicles on board, but the automaker is remaining resolutely tight-lipped as to the state of its cars or any value they may have. BMW said it had 65 Minis worth around GBP1.3m (US$1.3m), as well as one bespoke Rolls-Royce Wraith, whose value is as-yet unknown.
JCB also has 105 machines on board, with the company maintaining they are now under the ownership of dealers in the Middle East.
Destinations for the Hoegh Osaka cargo included Jeddah, Sohar [Oman], Jebal Ali [Dubai], Bahrain, Damman, Kuwait, after the ship would have initially docked at Bremerhaven and Hamburg in Germany.
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By GlobalDataA further complication has come to light however, after the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) said an oily film had formed on top of the 3,000t of water from the hydraulics of the vehicles on board.
Svitzer is having to use a technique which draws liquid from the bottom of the vessel to avoid this film, but removing the water should reduce the vessel’s list, which is currently an extremely steep 51 degrees.
“They are working to pump out as much water as they can, to change the ballast and upright her [ship] weather permitting,” said the Svitzer spokesman. “They are not going to risk anything.
“These guys are in a good spot and have plenty of assets. They work in all weathers these people – they are extraordinary. In Southampton there is plenty of expertise, it is one of the top maritime places in the country, if not in Europe.
“We really don’t know [about the cargo]. The impression we got was most of the cars were in place, but they have not done a survey. They are still held by their straps, they are tethered down.”
The Svitzer spokesman added despite the undoubted complexity of the operation, it was not the most difficult the company had ever faced, with some ships for example having to be worked on from rocks.
What will put a fly in the ointment however, is the violent storm currently driving into northern Britain, but whose tail is also expected to lash the south later this afternoon.
“It is going to be pretty windy today,” a UK Meteorological Office spokeswoman told just-auto. “The winds are blowing at Newport on the Isle of Wight at 35mph currently – 29mph-30mph on the coast near Southampton.
“On the Isle of Wight itself…it could get to 50mph between 17:00 and 18:00. It is unlikely they would be doing any recovery at that time.
“Overnight tonight, it stays between 30mph and 50mph, perhaps creeping up to 55mph.”
The Hoegh Osaka is currently around two miles east of the Bramble Bank near Southampton, although port operations are not being currently hampered at what is the UK’s largest automotive transit point.
