The examination of the giant cargo ship which sunk off the north coast of Scotland with the loss of all eight crew is being hampered by deteriorating weather.
A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used yesterday to examine the wreck of the Cypriot-registered Cemfjord in the hope of reaching a better understanding of how the vessel is lying on the seabed, and the likelihood of a salvage operation.
The ROV cameras could also give an indication of what happened to cause the cement carrier to sink at the weekend.
A major search operation was mounted on Saturday after the upturned hull of the vessel was spotted in the Pentland Firth by a passing ferry.
The mission was stopped just after 4pm on Sunday after no trace was found of the crew members.
The ROV was operated from the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel the Pharos, which located the wreck on the seabed in the Pentland Firth on Monday.
Deep underwater currents are also making survey work difficult for the vehicle’s pilots.
Tony Redding, spokesman for German shipping company Brise, which manages the boat, said: “They were trying to get a better definition of how she is sitting on the sea bed.
“She is inverted but we are still not sure to what degree, and when we get that information there may be a decision to take in respect to how we move her.
“It’s a question of really trying to understand how she is on the seabed. She is in 220ft of water and the currents down there are very strong.
“It’s the lousy weather that it making the job most difficult. There is a blowout gale forecast tomorrow and another weather system coming in. You need reasonable weather conditions to carry out a ROV survey.”
Brise last heard from the vessel at lunchtime on Friday. There was no distress call.
The crew on the NorthLink ferry Hrossey alerted the Coastguard after spotting the upturned hull about 10 miles east of the Pentland Skerries and 15 miles from Wick around 2.30pm on Saturday.
The families of the missing crew, seven Poles and one Filipino, have been notified.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the incident.
The 272ft bulk cement carrier was bound for Runcorn in Cheshire.