A Cargo Ship Is Tilting At 52 Degrees Off The English Coast

Stefano Pozzebon

Jan 5, 2015, 16:28 IST

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Plans are being made to rescue a 51,000-tonne vessel that ran aground off Southampton on Saturday night, the BBC reports.

The Höegh Osaka had just left Southampton port when it ran over high banks just north the Isle of Wight, in an area called the Bramble Bank.

Twenty-five crew members were rescued by the coastguard at about 9.30 p.m. GMT (4.30 a.m. ET) on Saturday.

The cargo ship, owned by the Norwegian company Höegh Autoliners, was sailing toward Bremerhaven, Germany, carrying about 1400 vehicles, according to ITV. It can now be seen from Cowes listing at about 52 degrees on its right flank.

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Ingar Skiaker, CEO of Höegh Autoliners, said in a statement that the vessel was grounded deliberately to prevent its capsizing.

The ship "developed a sever lift 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," he said.

Skiaker said the ship is not leaking oil, adding that it's now stable and major operations to rescue the ship are ready to get underway.

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Skiaker said that the company ordered a full investigation into the accident, although its main priority was to "ensure that there is no environmental damage from this incident."

The BBC spoke with marine salvage expert John Noble to figure out what happened. "Clearly she left the channel. What we can't speculate on at this stage is why," he said.

"The Bramble Bank is well known for being a difficult stretch of water so everyone is on the alert," Noble said.