Construction and machinery manufacturer JCB has confirmed 105 of its machines are aboard grounded cargo ship Hoegh Osaka held at Solent, a major shipping route that separates the Isle of Wight from England.
The stock, which is all bound for the Middle East, includes 50 tonne and 33 tonne tracked excavators; backhoe loaders; Loadall; telescopic handlers; wheeled loaders and Teletruk forklifts.
All machinery, worth “millions of pounds” was manufactured at JCB’s Staffordshire factories and is owned by the firm’s dealers in the Middle East.
A representative for JCB said: “We are awaiting further information from the shipping carrier about the current status of the machines and any plans they may have for retrieval.”
The Hoegh Osaka was sailing to Germany when it ran on to the Bramble Bank, in the entrance to Southampton Water, at approximately 21:30 GMT on January 3. The 51,000-tonned ship, registered in Singapore and laden with 1,400 cars, set off from Southampton at about 20:20 GMT on January 3.
An investigation has begun into the cause of the cargo ship’s difficulties. The Hoegh Osaka has has at least £35m worth of cars on board including Jaguars and Land Rovers.
