Cargo Ship Sinks: Coastguard Is Expecting The Worst For The Eight Missing Crew Members

The coastguard is expecting the worst for the eight crew members who were aboard a cargo ship that sank off the Scottish coast.

According to the Guardian, an overturned cargo ship was spotted off the coast of Scotland Saturday by a passing passenger ferry. The ship was identified as the cargo ship Cemfjord, a cargo ship carrying cement through one of the world’s most challenging waterways, the Pentland Firth, north of Caithness.

Roughly 24 hours after first being spotted, the Cemfjord reportedly sank completely, leaving no sign of the eight crew members who were on board: seven Polish members and one Filipino member.

According to Yahoo! News, two helicopters, four lifeboats and five coastguard rescue teams had been involved in the search for the crew members, but as of this report, no survivors have been found.

“The vessel is no longer visible,” said a spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. “The coastguard rescue teams are still searching and the helicopters are still up. So the search is still going on,” but there had been no sign of the crew.

While some outlets are reporting that the search has continued for the eight missing cargo ship crew members, other sources have begun reporting that the search has been suspended, or even called off since there has been no sign of the missing individuals. According to BBC News, the search has been suspended and the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch has begun its investigation as to what caused the cargo ship to sink.

“The families of the missing crew have been notified. The coastguard will continue to broadcast messages to all shipping requesting that they are informed about any information or sightings that could be related to the vessel,” said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. “The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed and is about to begin work on the investigation.”

So far the investigation has concluded that there was no distress call received from the cargo ship, but that bad weather could very well be the reason the cargo ship sank while carrying a cargo of 2,000 tons of cement from Aalborg in Denmark to Runcorn near Liverpool on the northwest English coast.

According to BBC News, one inflatable lifeboat was recovered by a search team in Orkney, but the coastguard reportedly stated that they have been unable to confirm that it came from the Cemfjord.

Stay with the Inquisitr as more information of this sunken cargo ship becomes available.

[Image via Channel 4 News Twitter Feed]