Strathclyde Police News

A port operator has today (Monday 29 September) pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches, following the deaths of three crew members of a tug which capsized on the River Clyde in 2007. Clydeport Operations Ltd, who were sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh, received fines totalling £650,000. In December 2007 the Flying Phantom was one of three tugs assisting the 70,000-tonne cargo ship Red Jasmine as it made its way along the River Clyde. As they approached the Erskine Bridge, the Flying Phantom was secured to the bow of the Red Jasmine, which was transporting animal feed. Just before 6pm, in thick fog, the Flying Phantom called the ship to say they had grounded and the pilot instructed the tug to let go the line. That was the last communication.

Clyde Marine Training, the UKs largest maritime training organization, has entered 2013 by strengthening its training division with a number of new starts. First to join was Allison Hume who arrived in October 2012, joining from a boutique maritime recruitment company in Singapore where she worked on recruiting merchant navy cadets and other experienced parties for various careers at sea. Alison was quickly joined by Hugh Mitchell in November 2012, who takes up the demanding role of Support Training Officer. Hugh previously enjoyed 30 years within Strathclyde Police, rising to the position of Police Inspector with direct involvement in the development of Probationary Constables.

Offshore Marine Support’s marine survey vessel, the Mabel Alice, has a long and distinguished track record spanning more than 30 years which, as skipper, Andy Iannetta explains, has been made possible thanks to the durability and performance of its original Cat 3408 engines, supplied by Finning Power Systems (Finning). "Mabel Alice was built as an RNLI vessel and served as the replacement for the ill-fated Solomon Browne, which tragically lost all of its crew during the Penlee lifeboat disaster in Cornwall in December 1981.