January 23 - H
The vessel was towed by four tugs to berth 101 at the Port of Southampton last night. During the towing operation, an exclusion zone of 1,000 m ahead and behind, and 100 m on either side, was placed around the vessel
The ship originally had a list of 52 degrees, but this was reduced to 5 degrees by salvage team Svitzer before it was towed to shore. The operation took three hours to complete.
Höegh Autoliners expressed its gratitude that the vessel is now safely moored after close to three weeks of being grounded between East Cowes and Lee-on-the-Solent.
"When the list had developed, difficult decisions were made by the pilot and master in the Solent on the night of January 3. Without those decisions we might not have had the vessel alongside," said Höegh.
"A lot of work remains, physical as well as legal, but the main thing is that the crew is safe, that no pollution to the environment has occurred, that the traffic in and out of the port has been largely uninterrupted, and the cargo soon can be accessed so our customers can get some clarity in their business continuity plans."
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch, which Höegh says it is cooperating in, as well as making its own investigation into the cause.
In the next couple of days the vessel will be inspected and made safe for surveyors to come on board. Once the necessary surveys have taken place, unloading of the ship's cargo will begin.
