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Fears for missing crew of stricken cargo ship overturned off north coast of Scotland Rescue teams search for crew of overturned cargo ship Cemfjord off north coast of Scotland
(35 minutes later)
A cargo ship has overturned off the north coast of Scotland, prompting fears for its missing crew. Fears are growing for the lives of eight crewmen after a cargo ship overturned off the north coast of Scotland.
A major rescue operation is underway for the eight people believed to have been on board the Cemfjord, which was carrying cement when it was last seen at 1pm yesterday. A major search operation was launched after the upturned hull of Cypriot-registered Cemfjord, a 2,500 tonne cargo ship carrying cement, was spotted by a passing ferry in the Pentland Firth 15 miles north east of Wick.
The vessel was found upside down with all but the hull submerged by a passing ferry in the Pentland Firth, which saw no trace of the crew. Four lifeboats, two rescue helicopters and other vessels were taking part in the search for the crew which is believed to be largely made up of Polish seamen.
Pictures taken by passengers aboard the NorthLink ferry Hrossey and given to BBC Radio Orkney appear to confirm that the vessel has sunk.
The ferry raised the alarm with Shetland Coastguard at 2.30pm today, joining the initial search for survivors.
A picture taken by a passenger onboard the NorthLink ferry Hrossey, appearing to show the ship sinking (BBC Orkney)A picture taken by a passenger onboard the NorthLink ferry Hrossey, appearing to show the ship sinking (BBC Orkney)
Four lifeboats from the Wick, Thurso, Longhope and Stromness RNLI, the Coastguard rescue helicopter from Shetland, an RAF rescue helicopter and other vessels in the area were still combing the strait, which separates the Orkney Islands from mainland Scotland, as darkness fell on Saturday. The search is being co-ordinated by Shetland Coastguard and local reports suggest a distress call had not been received from the ship, which was last tracked at 1pm on Friday on route from the port of Aalborg in Denmark to Runcorn in the north of England.
Local reports suggested that coastguards had not received a distress call from the ship. It is believed the ship has been drifting westwards and is currently off the island of Stroma and this evening four RNLI offshore lifeboats from Stromness, Scrabster, Longhope and Wick are searching a stretch of sea between the islands of South Ronaldsay in Orkney and out to sea north-east of Wick on the mainland. They are joined by a Shetland coastguard Sikorsky helicopter an RAF rescue helicopter.
The Cemfjord, sailing under a Cypriot flag, was drifting at 5.2 knots, roughly 6 mph, according to the most recent statistics on the marinetraffic.com website. The upturned hull of the vessel, which was built in 1984, was first spotted by a NorthLink ferry at 2.30pm this afternoon.
A gale warning had been issued by the Met Office in the early hours of Saturday morning. It had warned of severe force 9 gales, though weather conditions had improved by late afternoon yesterday with force 5 to 7 winds. A gale warning had been issued by the Met Office in the early hours of this morning. It had warned of severe force 9 gales, though weather conditions had improved by late afternoon yesterday with force 5 to 7 winds.
It is believed the shop has been drifting westwards and is currently off the island of Stroma. The Cemfjord had previously run aground in July off the island of Laeso off the north coast of Denmark. According to police reports the 57-year-old Russian captain was drunk at the helm when they came aboard and had a blood alcohol count over twice the legal limit.
It was sailing from Aalborg, in Denmark, to Runcorn in Cheshire. A spokesperson for German shipping firm Brise Schiffahrt in Hamburg, which operates the vessel, said the firm was setting up an emergency response team and that the Russian captain, who was fined by Danish authorites, had been “replaced by a respected Polish captain and master who has been with the firm for many years.”
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “Shetland Coastguard was contacted by the ferry at 2.30 pm to report that the hull of the cargo vessel had been found, although there were no survivors in the immediate vicinity. The cargo vessel was last seen at 1.00 pm yesterday. Eight crew were on board.” A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “Shetland Coastguard was contacted by the ferry at 2.30 pm to report that the hull of the cargo vessel had been found, although there were no survivors in the immediate vicinity. The 83m cargo vessel was last seen at 1.00 pm yesterday. Eight crew were on board.”