WESTMINSTER has been warned about the "serious neglect" of Scotland's long-range search-and-rescue capabilities in the wake of last week's sinking of the Cemfjord in the North Sea.

The SNP say the scrapped Nimrod MR2 patrol aircraft would have made a difference in the extensive sea and air search of the ­Pentland Firth after the cement carrier capsized.

They have been joined by ­industry body the UK Chamber of Shipping in ­raising concerns about Britain's ability to deal with major maritime incidents.

Strong currents and poor weather conditions are understood to have hampered attempts to recover the Cyprus-registered Cemfjord, which is believed to hold the bodies of eight seafarers - seven Polish nationals and one Filipino.

The Nimrod is three times as fast as a helicopter. It is argued it could also remain on the scene longer, as some Nimrod missions can last more than 15 hours.

The scrapped Nimrod MR2 and the cancelled £4 billion ­replacement Nimrod MRA4 fleet formed part of the cost-cutting Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010. The Nimrod was the premier long-distance workhorse of the UK Search and Rescue Fleet when dealing with major maritime incidents.

Its scrapping led to the closure of the aircraft's base at RAF Kinloss in Morayshire.

Concerns that the country's defences were "dangerously exposed" by the lack of maritime patrol aircraft first surfaced earlier this month when Britain had to seek foreign assistance to help hunt for a submarine, believed to be Russian, off the west coast of Scotland.

The Chamber of Shipping fears lives are being put at risk ­without the necessary "assets" to lead ­effective search-and-rescue operations.

Jonathan Roberts of the Chamber said: "The lack of capability does mean there is that risk [to lives] in the future if a vessel goes missing."

The UK search-and-rescue area covers two million square miles of sea and overf 10,500 nautical miles of coastline, reaching so far to the west that it actually borders ­Canada's eastern search limit.

At one time the RAF maintained one Nimrod at two hours' readiness, 24 hours a day, at RAF Kinloss for search-and-rescue duties.

The fixed-wing aircraft had state-of-the-art radar technology and capability to search more than 20,000 square miles of ocean at a time. It could fly at high speed to a distance of approximately 800 ­nautical miles from base and then search for a period of five hours. By contrast, Sea King helicopters have a radius of action of approximately 250 ­nautical miles.

As of April 1, 2014, the UK did not list a fixed-wing aircraft for search and rescue in annex 12 of the ­Convention on International Civil Aviation (Civa) - which places a responsibility on states to ensure search-and rescue services are provided.

The Cemfjord sinking prompted Liam McArthur, the Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney, to ask Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead why it took so long to establish that a ship of its size "entering a busy stretch of water such as the Pentland Firth had run into serious difficulties", suggesting the area's vessel traffic system should be enhanced.

SNP MSP for the Highlands, Mike MacKenzie, expressed concern that the Coastguard tug Herakles took two-and-a-half hours to reach Cemfjord. Lochhead has agreed to raise the matter with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The ferry Hrossey, which is ­understood to have raised the alarm, spent time in the area ­looking for survivors as it waited for lifeboats to arrive.

One passenger said the ferry was on the scene for two-and-a-half hours before the coastguard said it could carry on with the journey.

The MCA said the coastguard helicopter based in Shetland was scrambled seven minutes after a call was received by Shetland ­Coastguard at 2.21pm, arriving on the scene at 3.03pm. The RAF rescue helicopter from Lossiemouth was scrambled at 2.48pm and arrived on scene at 3.52pm. The MCA said it believed the helicopters were scrambled in a reasonable time.

The SNP's Westminster leader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson MP said: "This tragedy once again raises questions about the scrapping of Nimrod. Not to have multi-purpose maritime patrol aircraft, whether for ­submarine patrols or searching for vessels at sea, was always going to be a mistake. Their ability to remain on the scene and co-ordinate rescue missions was highly effective."

The Nimrod MR2 flew more than 108 long-distance search-and-rescue missions in the five years to 2012.

The SNP say Britain is in breach of international search-and-rescue responsibilities. Robertson added: "If there was any serious ­emergency at the outer limits of the UK's area of responsibility, there simply isn't the right tool available to conduct the rescue."

Answers to ministerial question indicated that compared to the years between 2005 and 2012, when the RAF sent Nimrods to help other countries, it had not sent a single aircraft to help until a fixed-wing RAF Hercules searched for missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki last May.

The ship and its four British crew disappeared after the 40ft yacht ran into difficulties 620 miles east of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Its upturned hull was found but there was no sign of the crew, and a search for them was called off.

The Chamber of Shipping said the Hercules had poor range, was not equipped with appropriate technology to do the job and said pilots would be searching for signs of life using nothing more than the naked eye from an altitude of 500 feet.

Late last year, maritime patrol aircraft from the US, Canada and France carried out patrols ­alongside British surface warships in the search for a submarine believed to be from Russia, after a periscope was sighted in waters where British submarines would normally surface as they head into or out of the Royal Navy's submarine base at Faslane.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation said annex 12 of the Civa did not stipulate any ­requirements related to fixed-wing or non-fixed-wing aircraft.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Tough decisions had to be taken in order to rebalance the defence budget, which included removing the Nimrod MR2 from service. However, maritime surveillance is provided through a combination of layered capabilities including surface ships, submarines and air assets such as the (fixed-wing) RAF Hercules, which searched for the missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki in May.

"The UK continues to work closely with its Nato allies in the operation of maritime patrol aircraft ­alongside the Royal Navy."