Pumping begins aboard stricken JLR and JCB cargo ship
WORK has started to pump about 3,000 tonnes of excess water from the stricken cargo ship carrying a multi-million pound payload of luxury Jaguar Land Rover cars and JCB construction equipment.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the operation to pump water from the 51,000 tonne Hoegh Osaka had begun over the weekend. So far around 800 tonnes of water is thought to have been pumped off the ship, which remains listing at a 45 degree angle.
The ship was breached on sandbanks in the Solent following bad weather earlier this month before refloating itself a few days later.
The MCA said the pumping operation was going well but progress had been slower yesterday because of having to reposition pumps so only clean water is discharged.
The vessel, which is being secured by tugs off Lee-on-the-Solent, is unlikely to be moved to Southampton Port before Wednesday.
Jaguar Land Rover revealed earlier this month that 1,200 of its vehicles destined for the Middle East were on board the ship, while the Staffordshire excavator manufacturer said 105 of its machines also formed part of the cargo.
Neither has revealed the full cost of the cargo but estimates place the value of the cars at somewhere between £35m to £100m. In addition to the JLR vehicles, there are also 65 Minis on board the ship plus a £260,000 Rolls-Royce Wraith.
The 50,000-tonne vessel is operated by Norway-based Hoegh Autoliners and is registered in Singapore.
