A car carrier which was stranded next to a busy shipping lane could be towed back to port as early as Wednesday, according to the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Heavy winds have caused delays to the salvage operation to pump water from the Hoegh Osaka and re-right it.
The 51,000-tonne ship, which has a cargo of 1,400 cars and 105 pieces of construction equipment, was beached deliberately on Bramble Bank sandbank, near Southampton, on January 3 after it began listing as it left the Hampshire port.
It floated free from the sandbank on the high tide on January 7 and has since been anchored at a spot two miles east called Alpha Anchorage, near Lee-on-the-Solent.
An MCA spokeswoman said that about 800 tonnes of the 3,000 tonnes of water taken on board the ship was pumped off yesterday.
She said: ''The ship continues to be stable and, at this point in the salvors' ongoing operations, the ship continues to list at 48 degrees.
''Yesterday the operation to pump water from the vessel's lower car decks removed approximately 800 tonnes of clean water. The operation will continue today but progress will be slower as divers have to reposition the pump to ensure only clean water is discharged.
''The operation is going well, nevertheless the Hoegh Osaka is unlikely to be moved to Southampton Port before Wednesday.''
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