''Flying Phantom'' was a

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

built in 1981 for the

Clyde Shipping Company The Clyde Shipping Company was one of the earliest shipping companies in the United Kingdom to provide steamship services. History The Clyde Shipping Company or C. S. Co. was established in 1815 to provide steamship services out of Glasgow. A ...

and based in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. As a consequence of business takeovers and mergers, by 2001 she was owned by Svitzer Marine Ltd of Middlesbrough, though still based on the Clyde. She sank in the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...

on 19 December 2007, with the loss of Stephen Humphreys (captain), Robert Cameron (engineer) and Eric Blackley (deckhand) with only Brian Aitchison surviving. She was one of three tugs assisting the bulk carrier ''Red Jasmine''. On the night of the accident, there was extremely poor visibility, due to heavy fog. Following the incident the

Marine Accident Investigation Branch The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is a UK government organisation, authorised to investigate all maritime accidents in UK waters and accidents involving UK registered ships worldwide. Investigations are limited to establishing cau ...

carried out a full investigation on the accident, and their report was published in September 2008. The MAIB concluded that failings in the safety regime of the harbour authority Clydeport, as well as operational shortcomings by the tug operator, and lack of an accepted international industry standard for tug tow line emergency release systems all contributed to the capsize of ''Flying Phantom'' and the loss of the three crew-members. The vessel was salvaged in January 2008, allowing evidence to be gathered for the MAIB report, and was subsequently scrapped. Earlier reports that criminal charges had been laid against Clydeport and Svitzer were confirmed on 22 April 2013. In October 2013, Svitzer pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws, and was fined £1.7 million. In September 2014 Clydeport was also fined. http://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/8/1323/HMA-v-CLYDEPORT-OPERATIONS-LIMITED Sentencing statement by judge

References

External links

MAIB investigation of the incident

{{coord missing, West Dunbartonshire 1981 ships Shipwrecks of Scotland Ships of the Clyde Shipping Company