SEEKING ANSWERS ON NUCLEAR SUB “NEAR MISS”

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South Scotland MSP Emma Harper has once again written to the UK Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace MP, to ask for the results of an investigation into a near miss incident in the Irish Sea in November 2016. This incident involved a Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine coming into close contact with a Stena passenger ferry.

The incident, which was only made public over a year later when the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) announced that it would be carrying out an investigation, has been raised by the South Scotland MSP on numerous occasions with the UK Government and with Scotland’s First Minister.

In response to Ms Harper, the First Minister echoed concern over the incident and reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s position to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons.

To date, the South Scotland MSP – despite assurances from the MAIB that she would be kept fully informed on the incident – has received next to no communication from the MAIB and UK Government. This week she discovered that the investigation seems to have been removed from the MAIB website.

Commenting, Ms Harper said:

“When I first heard about this near miss I was very concerned for my constituents – some of whom are crew and ferry passengers. I immediately wrote to the MAIB and the then Secretary of State for Defence, Gavin Williamson MP. Since then I have made several attempts to get answers from the UK Government, but to date I have not received a specific detailed response.

“Today I have written, yet again, to the Secretary of State for Defence – now Ben Wallace MP – to ask for an explanation as to how a nuclear submarine could get so close to a passenger ferry on an established and very busy commercial ferry crossing. I have also asked why the MAIB website lists neither the investigation nor the reported conclusions on their website – despite this being the case until recently.

“I have asked Mr Wallace to treat my request as urgent and I look forward to a speedy response with answers and recommendations to make sure this does not happen again.

“The people, businesses and passengers deserve answers from this UK Government, they do not deserve to be cast into the long grass – waiting more than two years for an answer to what could have been a very dangerous life-threatening situation for all involved.”