Hoegh Osaka: Cars driven off cargo ship

Cars worth tens of thousands of pounds have been driven off the Hoegh Osaka cargo ship that was stranded in the Solent.

The vehicles could be driven off, having been securely lashed down during 19 days spent at an angle.

The ship was towed to Berth 101 at Southampton docks last Thursday and work to unload the cargo has now begun.

It is likely the cars will be inspected before their future is decided.

Salvors and investigators handed over control of the ship to owners Hoegh Autoliners on Friday.

Some of the cars were more visibly damaged than others as they came off the ship

An inspection showed there was only "minimal damage" to the ship.

The 51,000-tonne Hoegh Osaka ran aground on 3 January and spent 19 days listing at 52 degrees.

There was roughly £60m of machinery and cars - including Jaguars, Land Rovers, and Minis - on board the ship at the time.

A spokeswoman for BMW Group, responsible for the Minis, said the cars would be assessed once they had been taken from the ship but it was not clear what would happen to them after that.

A JCB spokesman said a company representative had been on board and most of their vehicles "appeared to be in good condition", although some were "clearly damaged".

He said they were due to be transferred to the quayside on Wednesday, before JCB dealers and their insurers begin a thorough inspection.

Speaking after the ship was brought back to port, spokesman Øyvind Erwik said: "A lot of work remains - physical and legal.

"The cargo's condition will only be ascertained when it is safely discharged."

He said the company would not speculate further on the cause of the grounding until the investigation was complete.

The ship was being held between Cowes and Lee-on-Solent, away from main shipping lanes

Hoegh Osaka - Stranded in the Solent for 19 days

• 3 January - Singapore-registered Hoegh Osaka is run aground on Bramble Bank after developing a list, shortly after leaving Southampton, en route to Germany

• 5 January - A team from appointed salvers Svitzer boards the ship to assess the damage and formulate a salvage plan. It emerges it is carrying 1,400 cars and construction equipment including Jaguars, Land Rovers and JCBs

• 7 January - It floats free from Bramble Bank on the high tide and is towed by tugs to Alpha Anchorage, near Lee-on-the-Solent

• 10 January - One of the tugs holding the ship crashes into it in high winds

• 17 January - Salvers begin to pump 3,000 tonnes of water out of the cargo hold to reduce its list from 52 degrees

• 22 January - With the list reduced to five degrees, Hoegh Osaka is towed up Southampton Water to Berth 101 by four tugs