Tricolor, the Southampton-bound vessel, that capsized in the Channel after colliding with a container ship, is one of hundreds of similar vehicle carriers that now call at the city's docks.

Built in 1987 and operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Tricolor was carrying 2,862 luxury cars as well as tractors, cranes and escalators and was due to pick up more vehicles in Southampton before leaving for America.

The 190 metre long and 32 metre wide Tricolor collided with the 1982 constructed Kariba, which has a capacity for 988 container units, and was en route from Antwerp to Le Havre.

Tricolor had left Zeebrugge and was making for Southampton when the accident happened in thick fog 30 miles off Margate. All 24 crew members were rescued and no injuries were reported.

Then, in a bizarre twist, the 3,000 ton Dutch Antilles registered, Nicola, struck the Norwegian vessel becoming stuck fast on top of the stricken vehicle carrier, stranding the 95 metre long cargo ship while it waited to float off on the tide.

Southampton Docks is seeing an increasing number of calls every year from specialised vehicle carriers as the port is the UK's number one hub for the import and export of cars.

The port handles more than half a million vehicles a year for most major manufacturers based either in Great Britain or overseas.

Proximity to the main shipping routes means the deep-sea vessels calling at mainland European ports have a minimum deviation to serve the UK market through Southampton.

While cars make up the bulk of the roll-on/roll-off traffic in Southampton, the port also handles larger items such as buses, boats on trailers, earth-moving equipment and even aircraft.

Vehicles are handled at a number of locations in the port, in several cases through manufacture dedicated terminals, such as the ones for Ford and Honda.

Destinations served by vehicle carriers calling at Southampton include the east, west and gulf coasts of the United States of America, Australasia, the Middle and Far East, South America and southern Africa.