A Norwegian-registered cargo ship which has sunk after a collision in the English Channel was carrying more than 2,800 brand new cars.
The Tricolorcrashed with another vessel in the fog.
It had 2,862 cars on board when it collided with a Kariba, a container ship, 30 miles east of Ramsgate.
The Tricolor had picked up its cargo in Zebrugge and was on its way to Southampton.
A spokesman for its owners, shipping firm Wilhelmsen Lines, said: "We do not yet have a figure for the value of the cargo. We are working on the figures now. It will be several million dollars certainly.
"The ship was carrying new cars but we are not sure what make they were yet."
The Tricolor, built in 1987, collided with the Kariba, a Bahamas-registered ship at about 1.30 a.m., in thick fog east of Ramsgate, Kent.
The Tricolor, weighing nearly 50,000 tonnes, began to list and sank within an hour and a half.
A spokesman for Dover Coastguard said the crew of the Tricolor were forced to abandon ship. There were no reports of injuries.
Its Captain, a Norwegian, cargo captain, a Swede and its 22 Filipino crew had to scramble into lifeboats as the ship went down.
PA