Car Carrier Deliberately Beached
A car carrier the HOEGH OSAKA was deliberately run aground on The Brambles Bank at the entrance to Southampton Water on the evening of Jan 3rd, 2015. The ship had departed the Port of Southampton and was headed for Bremerhaven when the incident occurred.
All crew plus one pilot, in total 25 people were evacuated from the vessel and all are safe and accounted for. “Fortunately, the rescue helicopters managed to winch most of the crew to safety in quite challenging conditions, while two people were rescued by the Calshot RNLI lifeboats. One of them leaped around 8 meters from the ship into the water and was picked up immediately by our inshore lifeboat. The other was rescued from the bow of the ship.”
Car parks are filled as onlookers gather on the shore line to see the stranded ship. The 180-meter long Singapore-registered vessel is now listing at about 52 degrees with a salvage operation swinging in to action.
A Hoegh Autoliners representative said, “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. 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.”
“There is no impact on vessels transiting the Solent as the vessel is not within a shipping channel.”
Known as “The Brambles”, Bramble Bank is a famous sandbank in Southampton Water that is also the scene of an annual cricket match between two yachting clubs when the sands are exposed in low spring tides since the 1950s.
In November 2008, the Cunard liner QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 on her last transatlantic voyage with 1,700 passengers on board briefly ran aground on the Brambles but was pulled clear by four tugs and a rising tide making her only 90 minutes late at docking in Southampton.
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QE2 ran aground on her last entrance to Southampton. Was later than the last Trans that I was on.
Something tells me that car carrier may roll all the way over because of how much she is listing, two or three more degrees and a capsize will be unavoidable, the RMS Queen Mary rolled this far after being struck broadside by a rouge wave during her troopship service in World War two, she slowly righted after being hit and would have capsized if she leaned Three degrees more, but today these top heavy ships of might not be so fortunate like the like the Queen Mary and might end up like the Costa Concordia or the Sewol.
She’s not afloat, so really it just depends whether the gravel/sand can support her weight or not for however long it takes them to come up with a salvage plan.
An expert tonight said her cargo, including the cars (MINIs, Jaguars, Land Rovers and heavy agricultural machinery) shouldn’t have moved, even at this angle.
It does make you think though, imagine the headlines if that had been QE2 on her side on her final trip into Southampton…
So all in all Rob it’s almost like the case of the Costa Concordia where she was on the underwater ledge, if she were to slide she would have been almost unsalvageable, the same could happen to the car carrier if the sand doesn’t hold her weight. You also make a good point regarding the QE2, lets hope she is converted to a hotel soon as possible so she won’t have continue to deteriorate at Dubai.
The QE2 was on the other side of the channel when she grounded (actually Calshot Spit) inwards from the final Mediterranean cruise, she left that evening for Dubai. I never felt her ground. I was on the observation area below the Bridge when the tugs cam out from Southampton and felt the bows drop when she was pulled off the sandbank. Evidently, due to the wind, she failed to make the full turn and hence ended up aground outside (to the west of) the buoyed channel.
I suspect that not very much of the QE2 was actually on the bank, enough for her not to be able to pull herself off but it didn’t take long once the tugs were attached.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings for the car carrier – thy hope to refloat her and the right her.
Officials in Oregon once dealt with a beached whale by using a substantial amount of explosives. The result was quite spectacular. Perhaps this method should be seriously considered. At the very least it would certainly be a crowd pleaser.
Unlikely that they will get that ship moved without dismantling it. At least they will get money back on the boat parts.
Well, actually, she refloated herself and then spun round 180 degrees. The tugs captured her and took her a couple of miles east to a safe anchorage and held her there for 18 days while the weather abated, still at over 50 degrees. They then pumped 3000 tons of water out and re-balasted her before towing back to Southampton with only a 5 degree list. She is now tied up alongside and they are starting to unload her.