Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to produce initial findings from its investigation into the causes of the sinking of the bulk carrier Cemfjord in the Pentland Firth on 3 January 2015.

In the absence of any survivors of this tragic accident, and with challenging weather and tidal conditions at the wreck site, it is unlikely that the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will be able to establish the causes and circumstances for some time. The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has advised me that a full assessment of why the Cemfjord foundered will not be possible until a survey of the wreck site has been undertaken and analysed.