Hoegh Osaka Towed to Port of Southampton - UPDATE

Photo courtesy and (c) Gary Davies/Maritime Photographic

Update: The Hoegh Osaka has been safely berthed at 101 Berth at Western Docks Southampton.

Earlier: The Hoegh Osaka car carrier has departed the Alpha Anchorage in the Solent and is underway to the Port of Southamption.

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency reported Thursday that salvors were able to reduce the list to just 5 degrees, down from 25 degrees on Wednesday.

The ship is now under tow to Berth 101 in Southampton Port. The tow is expected to take about 3 hours. The vessel’s departure was scheduled for 1545 GMT.

According to the Southampton VTS, the towing operation is to be conducted by 4 tugs secured to the Hoegh Osaka, under the control of the operation’s Salvage Master and assisted by 2 ABP Southampton Pilots. The tow is expected to proceed at a speed of approximately 4 knots.

During the tow, there is an exclusion zone being enforced approximately 1,000 meters ahead and behind the vessel and 100 meters on either side. An exclusion zone has also been placed in the airspace, approximately 1 mile on either side of the navigation route and up to 2,000 feet.

The tow comes nearly 3 weeks after the vessel grounded on the Bramble Bank after developing a severe list shortly after departing Southampton with approximately 1,400 cars. The vessel self-floated from the bank on January 7 and was moved to the nearby Alpha Anchorage, where salvors from Svitzer have worked to reduce the list by pumping water from the vessel.