A TUG towing an oil rig which ran aground off Lewis last year was sailing too close to the shore, used a line in ‘poor condition’, and had ‘no contingency plan’ for stormy weather, a damning report has found, writes Sandy Neil.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) last Wednesday concluded its inquiry into the £20m Transocean Winner disaster, leading to calls for prosecutions from environmental charity Friends of the Earth Scotland.
Both Na h-Eileanan an Iar’s MP Angus MacNeil and MSP Dr Alasdair Allan urged the return of an Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) to the West Coast.