Salvage teams are ensuring the Hoegh Osaka is steadied before 75mph winds hit the Hampshire coast

Rescue teams have enforced precautions to steady the ship being held off Lee-on-the-Solent ahead of gales and heavy rain swamping the region.

Specialists from Svitzer salvage are likely to withdraw from the 51,000 tonne vessel during the severe weather forecast to peak between 6pm tonight and 8am tomorrow morning.

But the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) say the huge operation will progress towards the end of the week.

It comes as a temporary air exclusion zone is established around the ship following the arrival of a helicopter to help crews board the listing vessel more safely than by water.

A danger area of one surrounding the vessel and 2,000ft in height has been enforced to help with helicopter operations.

A spokeswoman for the MCA said: “The weather forecast for tonight remains high winds. All precautions are in place to hold the ship during this period. Current expectations are that the weather will permit salvage work to be progressed over the weekend.

Divers were unable to work yesterday but crews tested the water pumps deployed on the ship and its ballast system.

The ship is being held at Alpha Anchorage - two miles east of where it was deliberately run aground on Bramble Bank off East Cowes on Saturday, January 3.

Measures are being put in place to secure the vessel's cargo of 1,400 cars - including Jaguars, Minis and Landrovers, and 105 JCBs and pieces of heavy plant machinery.

Precautions include strapping down cargo with more lashings, deploying another tug to hold it in place and they are considering pumping more water in to keep it steady on choppy seas.

And if the weather is too bad they have preparations in place for her to be moved to a nearby sandbank to rest.

But they hope to begin work on righting her as soon as the storms pass and are planning to tow her back to the port of Southampton next week.