No major damage has been detected on the hull of the Scottish trawler Solway Harvester, according to police, who said the wreck could be lifted from the sea bed on Tuesday.

Salvage teams have managed to lift the vessel, which was lying on its starboard side, into an upright position ahead of efforts to bring it to the surface.

As the work continued off the coast of the Isle of Man, police revealed the vessel's superstructure appeared to be undamaged, weakening theories that it sank following a collision on the evening of 11 January.

Diving teams from the salvage vessel CSO Wellservicer have been working round the clock since Saturday night in their attempts to recover the bodies of the seven crew.

Chief Inspector Dudley Butt, of the Isle of Man Constabulary, said the scallop dredger was now upright at a depth of 38 metres, 11 miles south-east of the capital, Douglas.

However, he stressed no repairs were needed to the vessel, which was lying on its starboard side.

Mr Butt said: "There was no indication of any damage when she was lifted up. Had she been holed or breached the divers would have had to effect repairs to make her seaworthy and watertight for the lifting.

"Work will continue throughout today to put additional support rigging in place to secure the upright position and to clear her cargo prior to raising the vessel to the surface.

"At the moment it seems Tuesday night will be the first opportunity to raise the Solway Harvester."

Mr Butt said divers were clearing out its scallop catch and debris and putting flotation bags in the hold.

The boat would then be raised alongside the CSO Wellservicer and the Isle of Man Fire Service would go on board.

Diving operation

"They will clear away any fumes from the engines or batteries and make the vessel safe, they will then assist in the recovery of any bodies."

Mr Butt added: "We were expecting a big blow today and that could still come in and might stop the diving operation because it would be unsafe for the divers to be down there but at the moment it's looking good."

Once the bodies have been brought ashore, they would be identified and an inquest completed without delay to allow families to return home with the bodies quickly.

He said: "Hopefully that will happen within 24 hours of the bodies coming ashore."

Isle of Man Chief Minister Donald Gelling said he was pleased with the progress of the operation.

"The weather is better than we expected this morning and things are going well. We are just hoping that we will get all the bodies home."

The bodies of at least two crew members were known to be within the wreck of the Kirkcudbright-registered fishing boat.

Divers spotted a body early on Sunday. Another had been seen earlier when underwater cameras were sent down to survey the wreck.

Both bodies were found in the gutting deck of the boat. Neither man has been identified but the families of the crewmen had been informed.