The answer to the question as to whether the Höegh Osaka ran aground due to steering failure or pilot error, is neither. The car carrier was deliberately grounded on Bramble Bank when the ship developed an unexplained list after leaving Southhampton. Ingar Skiaker, chief executive of Hoegh Autoliners, said, “The captain and master and the pilot on board decided jointly to put the vessel on the sandbank to avoid any more serious problems. I think they executed their duties based on their best judgement and we’re not second-guessing their actions right now.”
It is unclear how the salvage of the ship will proceed. BBC quoted marine salvage expert, Capt John Noble, who said: “At the moment the door is wide open on how they will do it. The tidal option is no longer possible as it is clear she is hard and fast where she is. It won’t be as complex as the Costa Concordia and they used a leverage system there, which has been used in a number of cases. It can’t be done using ballasts due to the angle but I am sure they are exploring the dredging option. This could be done as long as the seabed stays where it is, but Bramble Bank may wash back and forth. That could be a high risk option. The priority is making sure the fuel is safe and may well be removed, but the other issue is the hull giving way as she is in a position she is not designed for.”
The ship is reported to be carrying 1,400 cars and 70 to 80 pieces of construction equipment, including 1,200 Jaguar Land Rovers and 65 Mini cars.
Did the Höegh Osaka started to list to starboard when, after leaving Southampton, she turned to port towards the ESE while already travelling at speed? That’s what may have contributed to the sinking in 1987 of the Herald of Free Enterprise when she left the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, and then turned to port at a speed of 18 knots to set course for Dover…
Shades of the car carrier Cougar Ace. Did a crew member open the wrong valve to a ballast tank………..or was it a fault in the operating system of a ballast tank valve????
My money is the first probability………..human error!
Did they really run aground deliberately?
Why is the rudder hard to starboard when Brambles would have been to port?
Maybe they were trying to correct the swing and list when the bank got in the way?
A big list will accelerate a turn considerably.
What has happened to the cargo of cars etc i.e Have they broken free from their lashings?
That seems to be the £30 million question. Even if the lashings on all the cars held, I wonder how much damage has been done by hanging at over 50 degrees for a week. Most car lashings that I am familiar with secure the wheels or the axles. I could image either frame or suspension damage at the very least. That is just my guess, at any rate.