Cargo ship with 1,200 Jaguars in trouble

The Hoegh Osaka vehicle carrier was deliberately run aground at Bramble Bank in England. The 51,000 tonne vessel departed from Southampton & was heading towards the Middle East after a stop over at Germany. However, shortly after beginning its journey, the ship began listing dangerously. The crew had to run the vessel into the sandbank to prevent it from capsizing. The disaster was averted, but on board are around 1,200 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles among other cars, including 65 MINIs, a Rolls-Royce Wraith as well multiple JCB diggers.

Officials are looking to begin salvage operations at the soonest. Alex Davis, partner and head of the casualty response team at the shipping law firm Stephenson Harwood says, the longer the ship is aground the more likely it is to sustain further damage. However, a strong winds forecast over the week of between 65-80 km/h, has stalled any such operations. Sources say the damage to the vehicles may not be as bad as expected, as the cargo was strapped down. A Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson said all the vehicles on board were insured and the brand's main objective is to "get sold orders to customers". An estimate of the damage has not been revealed, as JLR says the situation is still being evaluated.

Davis on the other hand says "You are unlikely to be buying the Jaguars after this." This isn't the first time cars have fallen victim to shipping accidents. In 2002, the "Tricolor" car carrier collided with a container ship. While the crew was saved, 2871 cars including BMWs and Volvos went down with the ship around half an hour after the incident. In 2006, the "Cougar Ice" car carrier listed by around 60 degrees. The vessel had over 4,700 Mazda vehicles on board. While most of the vehicles on board sustained little to no damage, Mazda scrapped their cargo, fearing any future incident related legal action.

Source: Business Insider