A car transport ship was intentionally run aground near the Isle of Wright, U.K. on Saturday, January 4, 2015 after it developed a severe list an hour after leaving Southampton. The MV Höegh Osaka, a dedicated car transporter built in 2000, was heading out of port on a journey to Germany at only one-thirds capacity when the ship developed a list to port. According to Höegh Autoliners, the owner of the Höegh Osaka, the ship suffered a major mechanical issue that caused the list, and the captain and crew decided that the best way to save the ship was to purposefully run aground at Bramble Bank, a sandbar just outside of the Southampton inlet. All 25 crew members were rescued, with two being taken to local hospitals for non-lifethreatening injuries.
Currently the Höegh Osaka is sitting on the sandbar with a 45-degree port list. It hasn’t leaked any oil and is currently stable. Höegh Autoliners has appointed Svitzer as salvage operators, and on the January 5th failed in an attempt to use four tugboats to drag the stricken ship off of the sandbar. The next attempt will happen January 8th, when the tide will be high enough to make another attempt.
(Photos: Lead photo by Graham Reading Photography, night picture by Robin Crosley/Isle of Wight County Press)
What we have here is the new sport of extreme ship drifting – the photo exquisitely captures the massive lean angle needed to navigate the tight course.
The whole crew also ran from side to side to act as a counterweight to assist in this maneuver.
You ain’t seen me – right?
The funny thing is that as soon as Extreme Ship Drifting becomes a done thing, the Aussies will find a way to make it crazier.
lmao!
It helps to have working ballast tanks on any ship.
Sorry boys, sadly thats a starboard list. Looking forward inside of any ship or boat, port is your left, starboard is your right. I know, nitpicking.
Sorry…it’s what happens when the Army guy gets to writing articles. Thank you for correcting!
Needs pics of carnage inside. No way all the cars inside are ok.
scratch and dent sale..
Latest report is it is full of Jags and Benz’s. All likely to be scrapped.
Correction. Jags and Mini’s. And now they may be salvaged.
The cars involved listed one Rolls. The rest slid across the deck.