A cargo ship which ran aground in the West Highlands is to be towed to a new location 17 miles away.

The Lysblink Seaways got into difficulty near Ardnamurchan Point in the Highlands.

It refloated of its own accord on last Thursday and was later anchored in nearby Mingary Bay.

Coastguard officials said the ship will now be moved this afternoon to a more sheltered position following a forecast for bad weather over the coming days.

The tug Kingdom of Fife will tow the Seaways out of Mingary Bay, which is 1.5 miles east of Kilchoan pier, to safe anchorage in Scallastle Bay.

The 17-mile journey is expected to take between four and a half to five hours to complete.

The move follows a successful operation to pump more than 150 tons of fuel from the ship on to the tug.

Anti-pollution measures and an exclusion zone were put in place around the ship last week after a small amount of diesel leaked from the vessel following the incident.

The temporary exclusion zone of 200 metres will still apply to the vessel while it is being moved, the MCA confirmed.

Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State's representative for maritime salvage & intervention, has authorised moving the ship this afternoon.

Emergency towing vessel Herakles will remain on stand-by until the vessel is in a safe position.