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| VesselTracker AIS traces at approx 1900 Saturday evening - showing the last recorded position of the casualty. |
SAR teams and lifeboats from Longhope, Stromness, Thurso and Wick, are helping search for survivors of the upturned cargo ship, Cemfjiord east of the Pentland Skerries.
According to BBC Scotland a major search operation has been launched after a vessel overturned off the north of Scotland. Eight people are reported to have been on board the Cypriot-registered Cemfjord, a cargo ship carrying cement.
The upturned hull was found by a passing ferry in the Pentland Firth. Four lifeboats, two rescue helicopters and other vessels are searching for the crew. Shetland Coastguard is co-ordinating rescue efforts. The NorthLink ferry Hrossey also took part in the early stages of the operation. The 83m Cemfjord had been sailing to Runcorn in Cheshire.
The last confirmed sighting of the vessel was at 13:00 on Friday. It is understood the alarm was raising by the crew of the ferry Hrossey at 14:30 on Saturday. According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, they reported no survivors in the immediate vicinity. As darkness fell, lifeboats from Stromness, Scrabster, Longhope and Wick were searching the area along with the helicopters, the Shetland coastguard aircraft and an RAF rescue helicopter.