MV Cemfjord

On her last voyage, Cemfjord was carrying 2,000 tonnes of cement from Aalborg in Denmark to Runcorn in Cheshire and was due to arrive on 5 January 2015.[6] She was last sighted at 13:00 on 2 January 2015 in the Pentland Firth. At 14:30 on 3 January,[7] her upturned hull was sighted 11 nautical miles (20 km) east of the Pentland Skerries by the NorthLink ferry Hrossey, which was sailing from Shetland to Aberdeen. Only the bow was visible above the waves. The ferry searched for survivors for two and a half hours pending the arrival of lifeboats.[8] No distress call had been received and the weather at the time was bad, with storm force winds. There was no trace of her eight crew, comprising seven Poles and a Filipino. Lifeboats were launched from Longhope, Scrabster, Stromness and Wick. Two helicopters and an aircraft also joined the search for the missing crew members,[7] as did HMS Somerset.[9] By mid-afternoon on 4 January, the ship had sunk entirely.[10]

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) conducted an investigation into the sinking.[11] An MAIB underwater survey located the vessel on the seabed at a depth of around 82 metres (270 ft),[12] 12 miles (19 km) east of Muckle Skerry.[13] The wreck was found to be intact but inverted and resting on its superstructure; no evidence was observed of structural failure.[12] It is thought that the Cemfjord may have been overwhelmed so quickly by bad weather that the crew did not have time to evacuate.[10] The MAIB investigation concluded that the ship "capsized in extraordinarily violent sea conditions caused by gale force winds and a strong, opposing tidal stream. Such conditions are commonly experienced within the Pentland Firth, were predictable and could have been avoided by effective passage planning. The master’s decision to take Cemfjord into the Pentland Firth at that time was probably influenced by actual or perceived commercial pressures and his personal determination to succeed."[14] According to the MAIB, the Cemfjord also suffered from "significant safety deficiencies relating to its rescue boat launching arrangements and bilge pumping system in the void spaces beneath the cement cargo holds. Both shortcomings were subject to Flag State [Cyprus] approved exemptions from safety regulations; however, the exemption regarding the rescue boat was not applicable to the equipment on board. This resulted from misunderstandings caused by the imprecise nature of the communication between the vessel’s managers, the Flag State and the Flag State’s recognised organisation."[14]

No bodies were seen or recovered during the survey or subsequently. The ship's owner, Brise of Hamburg, has said that no attempt to raise the wreck would be made and it will be left as a sea grave.[15]

Less than two months prior to her sinking, on 7 October 2014 Cemfjord was left with a list in the Pentland Firth, after her cargo shifted. The list was corrected by ballasting the ship. Contrary to regulations, the incident was not reported to the MAIB, although an internal investigation was carried out by Brise, the ship's managers.[16]