Russian sailor drank half a litre of rum before 7,000-ton ship crashed into Scottish coast

A sailor drank half a litre of rum before a cargo vessel travelling at speed crashed into the west coast of Scotland.

A 36-year-old Russian was on watch duty under the influence of alcohol when the Lysblink Seaways ran aground near Kilchoan, West Scotland, a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has found.

He drank the rum while off duty having received a telephone call which had caused him anxiety, the report states.

According to the MAIB, the vessel remained stuck on the rocks for two days in bad weather resulting in 25 tonnes of marine gas oil entering the water. The vessel had to be scrapped due to damage to its hull.

The report said the officer of the watch (OOW) "had become inattentive due to the effects of alcohol consumption".

It added the bridge navigational watch alarm system had not been switched on and an off-track alarm had been silenced.

"Although a radar watch alarm had sounded every 6 minutes, the OOW was able to reset the alarm without leaving his chair," the report said.

The vessel’s owner, DFDS, has taken action to enhance safety on sister vessels, "with particular emphasis on control of alcohol consumption".

A DFDS spokesman said: "What happened on the ship was completely irresponsible. We have a very clear and very clearly communicated zero-tolerance alcohol policy which cannot be misunderstood.

"We have never seen an officer having violated the policy before and we have never before seen such negligence of our safety procedures.

"The officer is no longer employed by DFDS. We hope this will not cast a shadow over our other officers who rightfully enjoy a very good reputation."