Loss of Cemfjord raised in parliament

During Topical Questions in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur quizzed Ministers over the tragic sinking of the cargo vessel, Cemfjord.

Mr McArthur said questions were being raised about the time taken to identify that something had gone wrong, and urged the Scottish Government to lend its support to calls for the bodies of the Cemfjord’s eight crew members to be retrieved.

Commenting after the exchange at Question Time, Mr McArthur said: “The sinking of the Cemfjord at the weekend was an awful tragedy.

“We will need to await the outcome of the MAIB investigation before learning what happened, and what lessons must be learned. For now, though, there appear to be serious questions about why it took so long to identify that a large cargo ship, passing through a busy stretch of water like the Pentland Firth, was in such difficulty.

“It is not at all clear, for example, why emergency positioning beacons on-board the Cemfjord or its life rafts were not activated. No doubt this is something MAIB will be looking at very closely indeed.”

He added: “In the meantime, it was right that the Scottish Parliament had an early opportunity to express condolences to the families of the crew members who lost their lives and to put on record our gratitude to all of the agencies and individuals involved in the search operation over recent days.

“I also welcome the Minister’s confirmation that discussions are underway aimed at trying to retrieve the bodies from the Cemfjord, whose location has now been pinpointed. This will not be an easy task, but it is surely the least the families of these eight crew members have a right to expect.”