Renfrew Ferry firm reported to fiscal after ‘water flooded vessel ’

THE operator of a historic ferry link has been reported for prosecution after water flooded into the vessel while passengers were on board, The Scotsman has learned.

The potential disaster happened as the ferry was crossing the River Clyde with its access door ramp open.

The Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it has sent a file to the procurator-fiscal over several alleged incidents involving Clyde Link, which runs the Renfrew-Yoker ferry.

In one of them, passengers aboard the Island Trader vessel were reported to have scrambled to the far end of the boat or jumped on to seats after it started taking in water.

The incident is reported to have led to the skipper switching off the ferry’s engines and activating its pumps. Passengers included a family returning from a naming ceremony, who expressed anger at the incident, which happened in June last year. It remained unclear yesterday why the vessel was sailing with the ramp open.

Last night, one passenger on the ferry said she thought it might sink. Emma Carberry said: “We got a bit of a fright. The whole of one end of the boat was tipping down and the water was up to my ankles. People were jumping on seats.”

Ms Carberry, 25, a nurse, was among eight members of her family returning from Renfrew after a Christening service.

She said she noticed the ramp was down when the skipper switched off the engine in the middle of the river and water started coming in. Ms Carberry said the ramp was then raised and the water emptied out.

Ms Carberry’s father, John, 53, an insulation engineer, said the ferry had reversed across the river with the ramp down, then stopped in mid-stream for the skipper to collect fares, when the vessel turned round and start taking in water.

He said: “I told people to get to the back of the boat. I thought it was going down.

“I’ve been on boats all my life and even I got a fright.”

Clyde Link, run by Silvers Marine, took over the crossing two years ago. It uses far smaller craft than the previous ferries, which were operated by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

The Crown Office said it had received a report about several incidents involving the firm.

A spokesman went on: “A report has been submitted to the procurator-fiscal in Paisley concerning a 37-year-old male and a limited company, in connection with a number of alleged incidents said to have occurred in June 2011.

“The report is currently under consideration by the procurator fiscal.”

An MCA spokeswoman said: “As the matter is now in front of the procurator-fiscal, we cannot comment on the detail. There is no timescale for the fiscal’s decision.”.