The 'Jambo' was carrying 3,500 tonnes of zinc ore

The freighter was en-route from Ireland to Norway with a cargo of almost 3,500 tonnes of zinc ore when the incident happened.

Local lifeboat crews plucked the Jambo's seven Polish and Croatian crew to safety shortly before she went down.

An incident room has been set up at Ullapool where a team of environmental and salvage experts is overseeing the operation.

Their priority is the removal of the vessel's marine diesel which poses the most immediate risk to the area's breeding birds and fish farming interests.

The Jambo is said to be lying in about 60ft of water after a hole was torn in her bow.

The team will also assess the environmental risk posed by the ship's cargo of solid zinc.

'Threat to wildlife'

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Mike Deeming of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said it was possible an attempt could be made to raise the ship.

The ship's crew were rescued by a local lifeboat

"We have an emergency towing vessel standing by at the wreck site and we will be deploying some counter-pollution equipment around the wreck itself," he said.

"The main concern is that it is a sensitive area and a lot of the local authorities are concerned regarding the diesel fuel still on-board and the cargo.

"However the cargo is zinc concentrate and is not classed as dangerous goods but there may be long-term effects if it is left in-situ for any length of time."