AN EMPTY cargo vessel that ran into the sunken Tricolor in the English Channel was pulled to safety, coastguards said today.

The Nicola, a 3,000-tonne ship registered in the Dutch Antilles, struck the Norwegian vessel at 1.40am local time.

Three tugs later moved into position and pulled her off the top of the wreck shortly after 8am.

Meanwhile, thick fog has been hampering efforts to salvage £30m worth of luxury cars which ended up at the bottom of the English Channel after the Tricolor sank on its way to Southampton.

The vessel had 2,862 BMWs, Volvos and Saabs on board when it collided with the container ship Kariba in bad weather 30 miles east of Ramsgate, Kent at 1.30am on Saturday.

Some of the Tricolor's cargo was due to be unloaded in Southampton at the weekend.

After Saturday's collision the 24-man crew scrambled into lifeboats as the 50,000-ton, 200-metre ship went down within 90 minutes of the impact.

The men were taken to Dunkirk but were not injured.

The ship had picked up its cargo in Zeebrugge, Belgium and was on its way to Southampton before continuing to the US, said Per Ronnevig, spokesman for shipping firm Wilhelmsen Lines, which owned the carrier. Also aboard were 77 other cargo units, which consisted mainly of tractors and crane parts. The ship itself was estimated to be worth £25.1 million. The cargo was valued at between £25m and £31m.

Counter-pollution teams were despatched to the scene with equipment designed to minimise environmental damage from the 2,000 tons of fuel oil on board.But the severe fog made it extremely difficult to undertake any salvage or anti-pollution work.

A Southampton-based Mari-time and Coastguard Agency spokesman said: "Fog hasn't let up and it's still very thick there. That's making it incredibly

difficult, particularly in the failing light, to pick up anything from the surface."

The container ship Kariba, a 175-metre, 20,829-ton cargo vessel, was able to make it to Antwerp despite being severely damaged.

The 3,000 tonne Nicola was in Southampton Docks last month when she took on a cargo of grain and left for Seville, Spain.