Stuart McMillan MSP, (SNP West of Scotland) today welcomed the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report in to the investigation of the loss of the tug, Flying Phantom.
The report identifies eight factors which contributed to the accident and has made recommendations to the port managers, Clydeport to review and address their safety management system.
The report identifies eight factors which contributed to the accident and has made recommendations to the port managers, Clydeport to review and address their safety management system.
Mr. McMillan said;
"I welcome today’s report, not only for the families of those involved in the accident, but also to allow the port managers, Clydeport, to learn from it.
"The report states UK ports appear to have been failing to learn lessons from accidents at other ports, well now is the time to work out the problems in order for a tragedy such as this to never happen again.
"Whilst the report states the emergency release system for the towing winch did not operate quickly enough and the poor visibility was an issue, it also points out that port risk assessment was poor. There were no operational limits for crew when towing in these conditions and a crucial statement is that the port’s quality management system was fatally flawed.
"This is an appalling state to have our leading Scottish port be in. Clydeport have a duty to those working in the port which they have failed to live up to on several counts.
"I fully support the recommendation by the MAIB for Clydeport to appoint a designated person within their safety management system. I also agree better guidelines should be in place for operating in restricted visibility and highlighting emergency preparedness of tug crews.
"For as long as these recommendations fail to be implemented, the lives of numerous crews are at risk. We should not allow another accident like this to happen again and would urge all parties concerned to take on board the MAIB report’s findings".
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