A high tide has not been enough to shift a fully loaded car transporter that was deliberately run aground when it developed a list shortly after leaving the south of England port of Southampton.
The Hoegh Osaka was intentionally steered onto a sand bank, off the Isle of Wight, on Saturday for fear that it was about to capsize, a company official said.
"Our vessel developed a severe list 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," Ingar Skiaker, head of Hoegh Autoliners, said in a statement.
"This showed great skill and seamanship on behalf of our crew when faced with such challenging circumstances."
The 25 crew members of the 150-metre ship were taken off safely.
The ship had 1400 cars on board and was heading for Germany.
Although the 51,000-tonne vessel is listing at 52 degrees, it is not taking on water.
Salvage operator Svitzer has been contracted to free the vessel, a process that might take days or weeks and could disrupt shipping in the busy channel.
The weather was fine when the Hoegh Osaka left Southampton late on Saturday.
It had a pilot on board, whose job was to ensure the ship kept to its set route through the Solent and into the English Channel.
Within an hour it had been beached.
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