Sunken Cargo Ship Cemfjord Wreck Found

The wreck of the cargo ship Cemfjord, which sank in the Pentland Firth with eight men on board who are presumed dead, was yesterday found on the seabed. It was discovered in the eastern approaches to the Firth by the lighthouse tender, Pharos, using sonar equipment.

The upturned hull of the Cypriot-registered Cemfjord - which was carrying cement - was spotted by a passing ferry on Saturday and sank the following day. No trace was found of its crew despite a huge search operation.

The seven Polish nationals and one Filipino who were on board did not have time to send out a distress signal. A liferaft from the cargo ship has also been discovered drifting in the Pentland Firth, but coastguards said there were no signs of life on board and that the liferaft had not been used.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is investigating the incident. Tony Redding, a spokesman for German shipping company Brise of Hamburg, which manages the ship, said the weather was likely to blame. "We look for abnormalities and at the moment we don't have any apart from the fact that there was severe weather at the time," says his statement