Update 2: Cemfjord Located on Seabed

Business & Finance

The wreck of the cement carrier Cemfjord which capsized and sank in the Pentland Firth with eight men on board on January 2 has been located on the seabed in the eastern approaches to the Firth, by the lighthouse tender NLV Pharos  the BBC reports.  

The U.K.’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency suspended the search for the eight crewmen missing from the Cemfjord on Sunday afternoon, after finding no sign of the missing men.

The lifeboats completed their search areas Sunday afternoon and returned to shore. The helicopter, coastguard rescue teams, fixed wing aircraft and HMS Somerset continued to search but by last light Sunday evening nothing was found.

Hamburg-based Brise Schiffahrt, a manager of the Cemfjord, said that no distress call was received from the vessel. The crew consists of seven Polish seafarers and one Filipino mariner.

Brise also said that investigations into the cause of the accident are being carried out by the company, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the flag of registry, Cyprus.

Cemfjord was built in 1984, as a general cargo vessel and was converted in 1998 for the carriage of cement. The vessel had loaded a cargo of 2,000 tonnes of cement at Aalborg, Denmark, and was proceeding to the UK port of Runcorn, with an ETA of Monday January 5.

Image: RNLI/Wick