That Massive Ship Full Of Luxury Cars That Ran Aground 'Freed Herself' And Began Drifting Out To Sea
Rescue operators had to intervene rapidly to secure the ship and prevent further damage.
The Höegh Osaka, whose cargo includes about 1,200 luxury cars and a few agricultural vehicles, started drifting today in the early afternoon.
The total cost of the cargo could be as much as £30 million, the Daily Express reports, as most cars are first-class Jaguars and Land Rovers.
Before she started drifting, the ship was listing at 52 degrees on a sandbank called Bramble Bank. It was stranded deliberately to prevent it to capsize on Saturday evening.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that the rescue team had regained control of the vessel, and that Hoegh Osaka was being towed towards an area called Spitbank for safety.
On Tuesday night, Svitzer, the company in charge of the rescue operations, had to postpone its plans to lift it after it discovered that the ship had taken on more water than the rescuers initially expected, the BBC reported.
This map shows the different moves of the Hoegh Osaka:
Look at the shipwreck drifting to the right:
While this video shows the boat being towed in the background:
The ship was run aground when it started lifting soon after leaving the port on Saturday night. A professional pilot from the port of London explained to Business Insider that the captain and pilot of the vessel showed great skill and expertise when they decided to strand it deliberately in order to prevent further damage, possibly including casualties.
Hoegh Osaka had left Southampton on Saturday night towards the port of Bremerhaven in Germany.
