THE blaze-hit American car transporter stranded in the Solent is on the move tonight.

Inspectors have given the green light for the damaged carrier Courage to return to Germany for repairs.

The 52,000 vessel will set sail for Bremerhaven at 6pm where teams will begin fixing the ship and continue investigatons into how the fire started.

A spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency MCA, which spent the last four days surveying the vessels safety with the US Coastguard, said: “Courage will be departing at 6pm.

“She is being allowed to move under controlled conditions to a specialist repair yard in Bremerhaven.”

The blaze broke out on the evening of the Tuesday last week when the vessel was 40 miles off the coast of Essex.

Its 24 crew - who were unharmed – used a special in-built CO2 flooding system to suppress the flames which are believed to have spread over four decks.

Teams are trying to determine how it happened and the condition of the ship and its millions of punds of cargo.

It has been carrying a mix of new and used commercial vehicles and some vehicles and furniture belonging to US military personnel.

It was bound for Southampton from Bremerhaven.

A spokesman for vessel owners American Roll-On Roll-Off Carriers (ARC) said it is likely to take a day to reach its destination.