Tug lift operation gets under way

A lifting barge was moved over the sunken tug

The operation to lift the tug which sank in the River Clyde, claiming the lives of three crewmen, has got under way.

A lifting barge will move over the Flying Phantom which is lying in about 30ft of water near Clydebank.

The step-by-step nature of the operation means it is expected to last until at least Thursday.

The Flying Phantom ran aground and capsized without warning while towing a freighter on 19 December.

The barge, GPS Atlas, which is operated by GPS Marine and is capable of lifting 400 tonnes, has arrived at the King George V dock from Belfast.

The river will be closed at 1000 GMT for six hours to allow it to manoeuvre into position above the tug.

After divers have attached cables to the vessel, the delicate lifting operation will involve it being raised then turned a number of times before it breaks the surface later this week.

Freezing fog

The ebb and flow of the tide around the location near the mouth of the River Cart is expected to play a part in determining the duration of the lift.

An investigation is continuing into why the Flying Phantom sank without warning while it was working in freezing fog to guide a freighter to a dock on the Clyde.

The bodies of the three crewmen, skipper Stephen Humphreys, 33, from Greenock; Eric Blackley, 57, from Gourock; and Robert Cameron, 65, from Houston; were recovered later.

A fourth man, Brian Aitchison, 37, from Coldingham, was rescued from the water.

The Flying Phantom is owned by the Danish firm Svitzer and was based at Greenock.