January 3, 2015

Emerging Incident: ” Cemfjord ” Vessel Capsized off nr Orkney Islands (3 January 2015)

News is now being reported of a cargo ship found abandoned and upturned in the Pentland Firth (between Mainland Scotland and the Orkney Islands). The vessel is the “Cemfjord” and she was spotted capsized by the passing Orkney ferry.

She appears to have been carrying cement from Denmark to the UK, and voyages of cement from Scandinavia appear to have been the mainstay of her operations; hence the name. Given the recent press about liquefaction there will be questions about whether the cement cargo mixed with, or turned to, water which brought her down.

(“Cemfjord” at sail last year)

(Capsized “Cemfjord” spotted 3 January 2015)

Vessel: Cement Carrier “Cemfjord” (IMO No. 8403569)

P & I Club: Skuld

GT: 1,850

Build: 1984 (30 years old)

Flag: Cyprus

Operator: Brise Schiffahrts GmbH

Numbers Onboard: 8 crew

Voyage: Aalborg, Denmark – Runcorn, UK.

Incident: It is not yet clear what happened, other than some sudden and unexpected event which seemingly gave no notice for the crew to take to lifeboats, nor allow the Captain to issue a distress call. If the incident had been in say Indonesia, liquefaction may come to mind as a possible cause, but given the stringent controls in place in Denmark this seems less likely. As there does not appear to have been a distress call and as the sailing conditions at the time of loss have been described as ‘pretty, pretty awful’ by the local RNLI, a rogue wave seems the more likely explanation.

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