A cargo ship travelling to Montrose Port has collided with another vessel in the Baltic Sea – sparking a major rescue operation.
The Scot Carrier was in a crash with Danish ship Karin Hoej in the early hours of Monday, authorities in Sweden and Denmark say.
According to reports from Sweden, the Karin Hoej capsized and at least two people were reported missing.
The two men in the water are understood to be the only two crew members on the Karin Hoej.
The Swedish news site says several vessels, as well as helicopters and aeroplanes, are involved in the rescue mission.
The Swedish Maritime Administration confirmed that it received a distress call at around 3.30am local time.
On approach, the rescue team heard screams coming from the water between the Swedish town of Ystad and the island of Bornholm.
Global ship tracker Marine Traffic has received no update from the Karin Hoej for more than six hours.
Search at sea called off
The cause of the collision was not immediately known but there was speculation it could have been due to poor visibility caused by fog.
Swedish news site Kvallsposten reported that the search had been impacted by early morning darkness and was called off at 11am local time.
Rescue crews determined there was no possibility of finding survivors in the freezing cold water.
Maritime authorities said the low temperatures gave the crew a survival time of just one hour.
The Karin Hoej has been towed to shallow waters so divers from the Swedish coast guard can search it for survivors or casualties.
The Scot Carrier had been expected to reach Montrose on Wednesday.
Gross negligence investigation launched
A spokesperson for operator Scotline said: “Scotline can confirm that they have an interest on the Scot Carrier, however, for the time being Scotline are not in a position to comment further since the details of the incident are currently under investigation and still ongoing.
“The master, ship, crew and company are assisting and complying with local authorities as required.
“Further details will be given in due course.”
In a statement, the Swedish Coast Guard said it was launching a preliminary investigation into possible gross negligence in maritime traffic.
A spokesperson at Montrose Port said they could not comment on the incident.