It is highly unlikely the cargo ship which sank in the Pentland Firth will ever be raised, but a decision can't be taken yet on whether to try to retrieve the bodies of the crew.

The names of the eight lost in the Cemfjord, which sank in the notorious waterway between Caithness and Orkney, will be released officially just before they are remembered at a church service in Wick on Sunday.

The county town of Caithness is just 15 miles from where the cargo ship now lies on the seabed, having sunk in 100 mph gales two weeks ago without issuing a distress signal. A ferry from Shetland had spotted the upturned vessel.

All eight seafarers who were on board are missing, presumed dead. Seven of the men are confirmed to be from Poland and one from the Philippines.

Tony Redding, spokesman for German shipping company Brise of Hamburg, which manages the Cypriot-registered ship, said it was felt this was the right thing to do. "There is going to be gathering in a hotel before the church service on Sunday and that is when we will release the names of the crew members."

But he said that the vessel was now lying more than 200 feet below the water and was not presenting hazard to navigation, so salvage was "very unlikely."

He said the next step was for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to carry out an external examination of the ship using a remotely operated vehicle.

"If and when that happens we will have clearer data on how the ship is lying on the seabed. She is upturned, but we need more detail as to what that means in terms of access. "

Only when that information was available could a decision be made about retrieving the bodies, if they were still in the vessel.

He said that given the depth of where the vessel had settled in what was one of the most inhospitable stretches of water in Northern Europe at this time of year, it would be a very hazardous diving environment.

"We will be faced with the moral issue of whether it is right to ask people to put their lives at risk for the possible recovery of the bodies. But I stress no decision has been taken yet. We can't decide until we weigh up all the risks"

Meanwhile Global maritime charities The Mission to Seafarers (MtS) and The Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) are liaising with Brise on how best to support the families of the lost crew.

Fr Edward Pracz, AoS Gdynia Poland, said: "Most of the families are Polish and we are available to contribute to the support of those in need at this terrible time."

The Polish language newspaper in East England, Nasze Strony, has published the names of the crew.