Around £30m-worth of manufacturer-owned BMW, Volvos and Saab cars were consigned to the deep following Saturday's collision in thick fog between two ships in the English Channel. The Norwegian-registered Tricolour containing the 2,862 cars sank 30 miles east of Ramsgate.

The second ship involved in the collision was a Bahamian-registered container ship, Kariba. She is currently being assessed for damage in Antwerp.