8 missing after cargo ship capsizes

A handout picture provided by the British Royal National Lifeboat Intitution (RNLI) on January 3, 2015 shows the hull of an upturned cargo vessel off the coast of Scotland. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - British rescue teams searched Sunday for eight missing crew members from a cargo ship that capsized north of Scotland.

Searchers on two helicopters and four lifeboats were looking for survivors from the bulk carrier Cemfjord, which was carrying cement from Aalborg, Denmark, to Runcorn on England's west coast. A passing ferry in the Pentland Firth off Scotland spotted the upturned hull of the Cyprus-flagged ship Saturday.

The hull sunk below the water Sunday and the 83-meter (272-feet) vessel was no longer visible, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said Sunday.

Tony Redding, a spokesman for the German shipping company that operated the vessel, said there had been no distress signal from the ship, and that the last communication with the vessel was routine. The company said seven of the crew were Polish and one was a Filipino.

Another cargo ship Hoegh Osaka - a car carrier - ran aground in the Solent between Southampton and the Isle of Wight Saturday. Officials said 25 crew members were rescued, but the ship remained grounded Sunday, listing at 45 degrees.

Ingar Skiaker, CEO of the ship owner, Hoegh Autoliners, said that there had been no oil leak from the vessel.

Hugh Shaw, a government official leading the salvage operation, told reporters that salvers would board the ship to establish if the cargo, including cars and construction equipment, had shifted and whether that would affect efforts to refloat the vessel.