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A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said a Royal Navy vessel and a passenger ferry were at “serious risk of collision” during an incident in the North Channel in 2018. The report published today revealed the two vessels were moments from disaster after it was found the ships came within 50-100 metres of each other. 

The MAIB said both vessels were placed “in immediate danger” after a fault in the submarine control room resulted in the crew misjudging the range and speed of the oncoming ferry.

The passenger ferry Stena Superfast VII was travelling from Belfast to Cairnryan on November 6, 2018.

The Stena vessel was carrying 215 passengers and 67 crew on board.

The nuclear-powered submarine, based at Faslane, was patrolling an area south of the ferry route.

The report said: “This incident happened because the submarine’s control room team overestimated the ferry’s range and underestimated its speed.

“This combination meant that the submarine’s commanding officer and its officer of the watch made safety-critical decisions that might have appeared rational to them at the time but were actually based on inaccurate information.”

The report found the submarine’s control room team initially detected Stena Superfast to be at a range of 9,000-10,000 yards.

At a speed of 21 knots, Stena Superfast VII would cover 6,000 yards in eight minutes and 34 seconds.

However, the report found the officer of the watch (OOW) had estimated the ferry’s speed as 15 knots, so would have “incorrectly calculated” it would take the ferry 12 minutes to travel 6,000 yards.

Following the incident, the master of the ferry notified the coastguard, and confirmed the submarine’s periscope had passed down the starboard side of the vessel at a range of 50-100 metres.

The report said: “During safety training in the North Channel, the command team of a submerged submarine did not take sufficient action to prevent the ferry, Stena Superfast VII, passing inside its go-deep range.

“This was an unsafe event and placed the ferry’s passengers and crew, as well as the submarine and its crew, in immediate danger.”

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Andrew Moll, the chief inspector at the MAIB, said: “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.”

The Royal Navy spokesman confirmed there were no nuclear safety issues during the incident and insisted safety remains the number one priority.

He said: “Ensuring safety at sea is a top priority for the Royal Navy, which is why we welcome this report and have already taken action to tighten our training and procedures.”

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