Passengers aboard the Northlink ferry Hrossey saw a haunting
sight this afternoon in the form of an upturned hull of a ship while
sailing in the Pentland Firth, a strait between the Orkney Islands and
the northern shore of mainland Scotland.
The vessel was identified as the Cemfjord, a cargo ship
carrying a load of cement from Aalborg, Denmark to the UK. The last AIS
tracking data from the vessel was transmitted at 1315 UTC on Friday according to MarineTraffic.com.
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency reports the tug Herakles is
on scene tonight supporting the search for possible survivors of the
eight crew that were reportedly on board when she sank. Wick, Thurso,
Longhope and Stromness RNLI lifeboats, a Coastguard Rescue Helicopter
from Shetland, RAF and a rescue helicopter from Lossiemouth and other
vessels in the area have searched for the missing crew, however none
have been found.
As of approximately 1630 UTC on 4 January, the search for the missing
crew members has been suspended according to a statement by the MCA.