MV Biter capsized while attempting to manoeuvre behind a cruise ship
The deaths of two men when a tugboat capsized on the Clyde near Greenock was caused by a “breakdown” in safety procedures, an accident report has found.
George Taft, 65, and Ian Catterson, 73, drowned in February last year when MV Biter capsized while assisting the Hebridean Princess cruise ship.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said that the speed of the ship almost certainly caused an “essential” safety rope to break.
Fourteen safety issues directly contributed to the accident, including there being “no shared understanding” of a plan between the two boats.
Andrew Moll, the chief inspector of Marine Accidents, said it was a “cruel lesson of how rapidly things can go dreadfully wrong”.
He said: “In less than 10 seconds the tug capsized, and two experienced seafarers lost their lives, because of a breakdown of the systems that should have kept them safe.”
Clyde Marine Services, the tug’s owner has been ordered to review its safety management system and risk assessments, and adopt a recognised training scheme for tug masters.
Christopher Brindle
More than a dozen safety issues contributed to the accident
The MAIB report said MV Biter and another tug had been assisting Hebridean Princess at Custom House Quay when it was asked to operate behind the ship.
It found that when MV Biter began to manoeuvre behind the Hebridean Princess the ship’s speed exceeded industry guidelines.
The load on the tug’s towlines was also between two and five times more than port owner Clydeport’s recommended speed range.
This caused a “significant load” to be transferred which was “almost certainly” a factor in the capsizing.
The MAIB also found an open hatch “compromised” the tug’s watertight integrity and limited the crew’s chance of survival.
Mr Moll added: “Small conventional tugs remain an essential part of UK port operations.
“However, the vulnerabilities of these vessels must be understood by those that operate and control them.
“Harbour authorities, ship and tug masters, and pilots should collectively own this risk.”
Police Scotland
Ian Catterson lost his life in the accident
The MAIB said the speed of Hebridean Princess placed excessive load on the MV Biter’s gob rope – which secures the towline to prevent capsizing – and caused this to break.
The report also highlighted that the cruise ship’s master and tug masters did not have a “shared understanding” of the plan of the Clydeport pilot, who was controlling Hebridean Princess at the time.
It was unclear whether anyone understood that there were “extreme risks” associated with MV Biter’s manoeuvre behind the cruise ship.
It found the pilot had not worked with tugs like Biter before and “did not understand” what the tug would be doing on the manoeuvre.
Failure to discuss the plan meant that no-one challenged his intentions.
The sinking sparked a major search operation for Mr Taft, from Greenock, and Mr Catterson, 73, from Millport, on 24 February last year.
Their bodies were recovered in the Clyde a day after the incident.
Clyde Marine Services said it would take time to “review and consider” the MAIB report.
A spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the families affected and Clyde Marine Services will continue to cooperate fully with ongoing official investigations.”
World leaders taking part in the latest annual UN climate meeting in Azerbaijan are hoping to agree action to help rein in rising global temperatures.
A key issue under discussion is how to get more cash to poorer countries to help them curb their planet-warming gases, and to cope with the growing impacts of climate change.
The decision to hold the meeting in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, has been criticised because of the country’s ties to gas and oil.
The US election victory of Donald Trump – a known climate sceptic – could also prove to be a distraction, and some important leaders are not attending.
What is COP29 and where is it taking place?
COP29 is the world’s most important meeting on climate change.
It is led by the UN, and the 2024 event, the 29th such gathering, runs from 11-22 November.
It is being held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a central Asian country located between Russia and Iran.
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What does COP stand for?
COP stands for “Conference of the Parties”.
“Parties” refers to the countries that have ratified a treaty called the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).
That document was signed back in 1992, by almost 200 countries.
The COP is the decision-making body linked to that agreement, and representatives of these countries meet every year to negotiate the best approaches to tackling the root causes of climate change.
Who is going to COP29 – and who will miss it?
Between 40,000 and 50,000 delegates are expected to attend COP29. This includes representatives from all UN member states, and the EU. Diplomats, climate scientists, trade union leaders and environmental activists will also take part.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will tell the conference that he wants the UK to have more “ambitious” climate goals. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also speak, as will the Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
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Other attendees include UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.
However the leaders of some of the largest economies – and biggest carbon emitters – are notably absent from COP29.
US President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping and France’s Emmanuel Macron are not attending. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s Olaf Schulz and India’s Narendra Modi will also not be there.
They are staying away for a range of reasons, but their absence could undermine the event’s significance.
Leaders who do attend will also have lots of other issues on their minds, including two expensive and difficult wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine, and global financial problems.
“No world leader is arriving with climate change at the number one spot in their inbox,” says Oxford University’s Prof Thomas Hale.
There’s also an underlying feeling that Azerbaijan doesn’t have the diplomatic or financial clout to secure a significant agreement.
Many leaders think progress is more likely at COP30, which will be held in Brazil in November 2025.Other attendees include UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.
What will be discussed at COP29?
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Climate change is a critical issue for Bangladesh
A key question this year is money.
Under the Paris agreement signed in 2015, world leaders pledged to try to prevent global temperatures rising by more than 1.5C. For that to happen countries need to ramp up their efforts to cut warming gases.
As part of the agreement, countries committed to develop a new cash target for developing nations by 2025. This money would be used to help emerging economies cut their carbon and adapt to the worst impacts of rising temperatures.
Getting agreement on a new finance target is seen as a critical step in building trust between rich and poor nations as, so far, the track record hasn’t been great.
African countries and small island states want to see climate finance in total reach over a $1tn a year by 2030.
Up to now countries like China and the Gulf States have been classified as developing economies and been exempt from contributing.
According to the EU and other wealthy countries, that must change if the overall amount of cash is to be increased.
Governments’ plans for tackling climate change in their own countries could also be a tricky issue. They must update their action plans every five years, with the next deadline falling in February 2025.
Some countries will release their strategies at this COP, but if they’re weak and look unlikely to stop global warming rising beyond 1.5C, it could cause problems with countries on the front lines of climate change.
It is also not clear whether the fossil fuel agreements passed at the last climate talks are still in place. There were signs at the G20 talks earlier in 2024 that some countries wanted to roll back on promises to move away from burning oil, coal and gas.
Major UN talks on protecting nature also collapsed in Colombia in October, after nations failed to agree key goals.
Why is holding COP29 in Azerbaijan controversial?
Azerbaijan has big plans to expand gas production, by up to a third, over the next decade. Some observers worry that a country with that goal is in charge of a conference that aims to transition away from fossil fuels.
These fuels are one of the main causes of climate change because they release planet-warming greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide when burned for energy.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev told the conference that oil and gas are “a gift of god”, and that countries should not be blamed for having them, or selling them on the international market.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Guterres told the conference that doubling down on the use of fossil fuels was “absurd”.
There are also deep reservations about holding the meeting in a country with a poor human rights record, where political opposition isn’t tolerated.
How will Donald Trump’s election affect COP29?
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Donald Trump attends the 2019 G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, during his first presidency
He won’t actually be at COP29, and the team representing President Biden will push for progress, but they know that anything agreed will not bind the new administration.
With Trump’s election the US is expected to withdraw from the Paris agreement, and from providing finance.
However it’s also possible that Trump’s re-election might drive a new sense of unity among other leaders, even building a coalition who might agree a major step on money for poorer countries.
Experts argue that the climate crisis – and the world’s collective response to it – will outlast a second Trump term.
How has the climate change affected the weather in 2024?
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Firefighters battle flames as they work to contain a wildfire near a village in northern Spain
The warning alarms from the climate could not be stronger.
It is now “virtually certain” that 2024 – a year punctuated by intense heatwaves and deadly storms – will be the world’s warmest on record, according to projections by the European climate service.
The impacts of warmer oceans have been seen with very powerful hurricanes Helene and Milton slamming into the US in the summer.
The devastating flooding that killed at least 200 people in Spain in October was also fuelled by higher sea temperatures in the Mediterranean.
“Climate change is a cumulative problem. That means that with every year of delay, there is additional warming that we commit our planet to. Now is the time that we need to take action,” explains Prof Joeri Rogelj at Imperial College London.
How could the COP29 talks impact me?
In the short-term, agreements at COP can change how nations build their economies, for example by pushing the development of green power. That can affect where we get our energy from and how much we pay for it in our bills.
It can also commit countries to paying large sums of money into funds for poorer countries. In the UK this currently comes from aid budgets paid for by taxpayers, although private financial institutions are expected to contribute significantly.
In the long-term, the talks aim to build a safer, cleaner world for everyone and prevent the worst of climate change.
Actor Timothy West, known for many roles in television and theatre, has died aged 90, his family has announced.
A statement released jointly by his children said the actor died “peacefully in his sleep” and was “with his friends and family at the end”.
Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West described their father as having had a “long and extraordinary life on and off the stage”.
The actor is also survived by his wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years.
West leaves “a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren”, the family said, adding: “All of us will miss him terribly.
“We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George’s Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days.”
This is a breaking news story, further updates to follow.
A severe weather alert in southern Spain has led to the opening tie of the Billie Jean King Cup between Spain and Poland being postponed.
The two nations were set to play in Malaga on Wednesday.
Two weeks after flash floods caused devastation in eastern Spain, several areas of the nation are on alert again.
A new weather front brought heavy rain in Malaga on Wednesday.
“This decision has been made based on guidance from the relevant authorities to ensure the health and safety of all participants and attendees,” said the International Tennis Federation, which organises the event.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation.”
Sara Sharif’s father has accepted “full responsibility” for her death, a court has heard.
Her father Urfan Sharif, 42, stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, had denied murder after Sara’s body was found with dozens of injuries at the family’s home in Woking, Surrey, last year.
Under cross-examination at the Old Bailey, Mr Sharif said: “She died because of me.”
The court previously heard that Sara was hooded, burned and beaten during more than two years of abuse.
MAIB
Christopher Brindle
Police Scotland
