Passengers were put in “immediate danger” when a submarine and a ferry nearly collided off the coast of Scotland in 2018.
A nuclear-powered submarine and a ferry nearly collided off the coast of Scotland on Wednesday, putting passengers in “immediate danger”.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the vessels came within 50-100 metres of one another.
It is believed that the submarine underestimated the speed of the ferry.
The incident occurred in November of 2018, however the report was only released on Wednesday 15 July.
The Stena Superfast VII ferry, travelling from Belfast to Cairnryan, turned quickly to avoid a collision, ensuring all passengers were unhurt.
The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents said that there should be an independent review of the past safety actions that have been taken in order to ensure that the risk of similar collisions “as low as possible.”
He said: “Although there was no collision, this was the third accident or incident between a dived Royal Navy submarine and a surface vessel in 4 years, which is a matter of significant concern.
“The Royal Navy co-operated with the MAIB’s investigation into this near miss and has taken a series of actions, intended to prevent recurrence, in response to this, and the other similar incidents.
“However, I have today recommended that the Royal Navy undertakes an independent review of the actions that have been taken, in order to ensure that the risk of similar collisions has been reduced to as low as possible.”
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