Skip to main content

JCB machines aboard stricken ship in The Solent, southern England

Millions of pounds worth of JCB machines are in danger of being lost aboard a stricken cargo ship that has been listing in The Solent river on England’s south coast. A spokesperson for JCB in the United Kingdom said 105 JCB machines are on board the Hoegh Osaka that has been grounded in The Solent. Machines include 50-tonne and 33-tonne JCB tracked excavators, backhoe loaders, Loadall telescopic handlers, wheeled loading shovels and Teletruk forklifts. All the machines are made at JCB's factories in Staf
January 5, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A 50-tonne JCB JS500 tracked excavator
Millions of pounds worth of 255 JCB machines are in danger of being lost aboard a stricken cargo ship that has been listing in The Solent river on England’s south coast.

A spokesperson for JCB in the United Kingdom said 105 JCB machines are on board the Hoegh Osaka that has been grounded in The Solent. Machines include 50-tonne and 33-tonne JCB tracked excavators, backhoe loaders, Loadall telescopic handlers, wheeled loading shovels and Teletruk forklifts. All the machines are made at JCB's factories in Staffordshire, England.

"The machines were destined for dealers in the Middle East,” the spokesman 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 coastguard said 25 crew members were rescued from the vessel and operations continued through the night to free the stricken car transporter, according to a BBC report. The 180m long vessel, carrying a combination of vehicles, is listing at 45 degrees.

The Hoegh Osaka was heading to Germany when it ran on to the Bramble Bank, in the entrance to Southampton Water, just off the Isle of Wight, at about 21:30 GMT on Saturday.

Hoegh Autoliners said it was "currently assessing damage and stability issues on board". The ship's owner said one of the crew members was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • JCB boosts compact equipment security
    November 30, 2012
    JCB claim to have taken a big step to protect its smallest plant by announcing all JCB mini and midi excavators sold in the UK now feature its 3-star Thatcham-approved immobiliser as standard. With over €1.24 million [£1 million] worth of plant stolen every week across the UK and Ireland - and just 5% ever recovered, the construction machine industry giant believes the move will protect thousands more machines against theft, while also reducing insurance premiums by up to 45%. The 801 mini excavators were t
  • Clean hydrogen fuel on road
    April 30, 2025
    A new ruling means clean hydrogen fuel can be used on road for construction machines
  • A new bridge now crosses a motorway in the UK
    November 5, 2012
    A new 240tonne bridge has now been installed over the M54 as part of a major overnight engineering operation. The single-span bridge, which stretches 45m over the motorway, is part of wider plans to develop a site in South Staffordshire. To allow engineers to winch the giant structure in safely, both carriageways between junctions 2 and 3 were closed on Saturday, November 3rd. Bridge sections were delivered to a near compound early in the summer where it was pieced together. Just after 11.30pm on Saturday,
  • JCB’s diamond deal for 1,000 backhoes
    April 12, 2013
    JCB has won a massive order for over 1,000 of its backhoe loaders in a deal which is designed to transform the rural economy of Brazil. Brazil's Ministry of Agrarian Development has signed a tender for the JCB 3C backhoes worth more than £40 million (US$60 million), as the company marks 60 years of backhoe loader production. The machines will be delivered throughout 2013 and put straight to work improving rural roads to ensure food produced for sale gets to market much quicker. The machines will be man