Tug's slow winch blamed for deaths

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The Flying Phantom was acting as bow tug towing the 39,738-tonne bulk carrier Red Jasmine along the River Clyde when the accident happened in thick fog on December 19 last year.

Its crewmen Stephen Humphreys, 33, from Greenock, Eric Blackley, 57, from Gourock, and Robert Cameron, 65, from Houston, died while Brian Atchison, 37, from Coldingham, escaped from the wheelhouse and was rescued.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report found that a number of factors contributed to the accident. It found that the emergency release system for the towing winch on board Flying Phantom had operated, but not quickly enough to prevent the tug capsizing.

The Flying Phantom was girted, which means pulled over by the boat it was pulling, the MAIB said. The weather also played a role in the tragedy.

The report highlighted a string of failings in procedures to ensure the tug operated safely in foggy weather.

It found that the routine the tug crew followed before towing or entering fog was "ineffective", with the watertight engine room door left open and the crew not being used in the most effective manner once in the fog.

There were no defined operational limits or procedures for the tug operators when assisting or towing in restricted visibility.

The tug is owned by the Danish firm Svitzer and was based at Greenock. It sank opposite Clydebank College in West Dunbartonshire and was raised in a salvage operation in January.

The port was also criticised in the report, with its risk assessment classed as "poor".