Church service held after Pentland Firth tragedy

The RNLI and Coastguard are among those to be thanked for their efforts during the search operation following the loss of the cement carrier Cemfjord, two weeks ago.

Investigations are continuing into the loss of the cargo ship which claimed the lives of eight crew, seven from Poland and one from the Philippines.

A church service is due to take place in Wick on Sunday, with senior representatives from the operators of the ship to be present.

Marine charities, Mission to Seafarers and The Apostleship of the Sea have been in contact with Brise of Hamburg, the shipowners, and are liaising with them on how best to support the families of the lost crew.

Fr Edward Pracz of Apostleship of the Sea in Gdynia, Poland, said: “Most of the families are Polish and we are available to contribute to the support of those in need at this terrible time.

“Our work with seafarers all over the world gives us the knowledge and skills to work sensitively in this traumatic context in the aftermath of the disaster and over the longer term.”

The church service for the missing seafarers will be held at St John the Evangelist Scottish Episcopal Church, Moray Street, Wick, on Sunday  at 11.30am.

For more details see the front page of today’s edition of The Orcadian.