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 small cruise ship Hebridean Princess.

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.

Port operator Clydeport has also been asked to commission an independent review of the training provided to its ship pilots.

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 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."

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 onboard 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.”

Clydeport said it would consider the recommendations "in detail".

Port director Jim McSporran added: “Our deepest sympathy goes to the families, friends and colleagues of the two men who died in this tragic incident.

"The health, safety and the welfare of our employees and the third parties we work with is, and always will be, our number one priority.”

The new CalMac ferry being built at the nationalised Ferguson shipyard has been approved to carry passengers.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Lloyds Register have now issued the final regulatory certificates for MV Glen Sannox, the shipyard confirmed.

A formal handover is now expected imminently, but CalMac will need several weeks of crew familiarisation trials before the ship carries its first passengers to Arran.

The dual-fuel ship was originally due for delivery in May 2018, but the build has been hit by design struggles and disputes over rising costs.

The interim chief executive of Ferguson Marine, John Petticrew, gave the latest update in a letter , externalto MSPs on Holyrood's net zero, energy and transport committee.

He wrote: "We are delighted to share that MV Glen Sannox has now obtained full regulatory approval, including its passenger certification.

"Subject to the completion of the required legal and contractual processes, the vessel will be officially transferred to its new owners, CMAL.

"Control of the vessel will then be handed to CalMac who require six-and-a-half weeks for operational readiness and annual recertification activities.

Glen Sannox is the second largest vessel ever built for CalMac, and the first UK-built ferry capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The long-delayed ship at the centre of Scotland's ferries saga has been handed over by the Ferguson shipyard, exactly seven years after it was launched.

MV Glen Sannox, destined for CalMac's Arran route, is the first new large vessel for the west coast ferry fleet in nearly a decade.

The ferry operator will now conduct several weeks of crew familiarisation trials before the ship carries its first passengers in January.

Glen Sannox was originally due for delivery in 2018 but has faced major challenges in design and construction, sparking the longest-running political controversy of the devolution era.

Costs have risen from an initial contract price of £97m to more than £400m, including £45m of government loans that were never fully recovered.

The handover comes seven years to the day since the ship was famously launched by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon with painted-on windows and plywood funnels.

Since then the Port Glasgow shipyard has faced administration, nationalisation - and years of frustrating setbacks as it grappled with complex engineering challenges to complete the dual-fuel ship.

The delays also disrupted vessel replacement plans, with CalMac now under huge pressure to maintain services with an ageing and increasingly unreliable fleet.

Alex Logan, convener for the GMB union who has worked at the Inverclyde shipyard since he was 16, said it was a big day both for the yard - and Scotland's island communities.

"It's been a long hard struggle - everyone knows this, the troubles we've had with Glen Sannox - but we've finally got it over and we're looking forward to the islanders getting a vessel," he said.

"I can only apologise on behalf of the workforce - but it's not any fault of the workforce. It was bad planning, bad design - but eventually we're here and I'm glad."

The 102.4m (336ft) vessel was formally handed over to CMAL, the publicly-owned company which owns Scotland's west coast ferries and leases them to CalMac.

Once all the paperwork was completed, the new Master of Glen Sannox, Michael Mackinnon, boarded the ship and raised CalMac's red ensign for the first time.

Interim chief executive of Ferguson Marine, John Petticrew, declared the ship "a fine vessel, well capable of providing decades of service for islanders and visitors".

He added: "There is no doubt it’s been a long haul getting to this point, and we sympathise with ferry users who have waited so long to see this day.

"Looking to the future, our ability to adapt, learn from, and successfully overcome considerable challenges demonstrates the resilience and skills of our workforce, and will provide huge value as we tender for future contracts."

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said it was a milestone to be celebrated.

"The Glen Sannox will provide resilience to the fleet delivering vital lifeline services to islanders and I am encouraged that the Scottish government’s wider programme to procure six new ferries by 2026 has taken another major step forward," she said.

CalMac's interim chief executive Duncan Mackison said the ship would benefit the entire network, giving the operator more flexibility in deploying vessels.

He added: "Our crew are excited to sail her and will now get to work to complete operational trials and familiarisation work in the next few weeks before she enters service for Arran."

Glen Sannox is the second largest ship to join the CalMac fleet - and the first ferry ever built in the UK capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

CalMac, which is also owned by the Scottish government, will now spend six-and-a-half weeks conducting crew familiarisation and harbour berthing trials.

The ship will also begin its annual maintenance cycle, with two weeks of inspections scheduled for early December, before carrying its first passengers from Troon to Brodick on Arran, probably in mid-January.

Construction of Glen Sannox's sister ship, Glen Rosa, is proceeding more smoothly, and it is due to be delivered in September next year.

The order for the two ferries has become one of the biggest public procurement disasters since power was devolved to Holyrood.

Glen Sannox was originally due for delivery in May 2018, with Glen Rosa expected to follow two months later, but from the outset the build was plagued by design challenges and disputes over rising costs.

The contracts were awarded in 2015, a year after Ferguson Shipbuilders, the last commercial yard on the River Clyde, was rescued from administration by successful businessman Jim McColl, in a deal brokered by then first minister Alex Salmond.

While the ships were bigger and more complicated than anything previously attempted by the small Port Glasgow shipyard, the new owners were promising new investment and were confident they could deliver them.

But relations with the yard's new management and CMAL quickly soured with both sides blaming each other for problems that developed.

Jim McColl claimed a flawed concept design by CMAL, repeated change requests and interference led to unforeseen costs.

CMAL maintained McColl's company had simply proved unable to design and build the ships, and there was no basis in the contracts to pay any more.

The stalemate saw the firm run out of money - and Ferguson's fell back into administration in August 2019.

It was subsequently nationalised, saving 350 jobs, but the new management under "turnaround director" Tim Hair struggled to resolve the difficulties.

He left the firm in early 2022, having been paid nearly £2m for 18 months work, with the two ships far from complete.

His replacement David Tydeman described the challenges of fitting the LNG system into the tight machinery spaces as more complex than building a Type 26 frigate.

Mr Tydeman was himself subsequently sacked by the Ferguson board earlier this year after another delivery deadline was missed.

A twinning agreement between two lighthouses in Scotland and Japan has been reached.

The partnership, thought to be the first of its kind, hopes to highlight the shared heritage and promote tourism at the Mull of Galloway and Inubosaki facilities which are almost 6,000 miles (9,000km) apart.

The Mull of Galloway Lighthouse was established in 1830 and engineered by Robert Stevenson.

His sons - David and Thomas - helped prepare fellow Scot Richard Henry Brunton who designed and built the Japanese lighthouse in 1874.

The twinning partnership was signed in an online ceremony at the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse and the Japanese coastguard headquarters.

Mike Bullock, chief executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), said they hoped more places might follow suit.

"This historic agreement marks a significant milestone in lighthouse collaboration," he said.

He said it was the first ever such partnership in the world and they were honoured - along with the Mull of Galloway Trust (MGT) - to be working with their Japanese counterparts on a "unique initiative".

"The aim of bringing together the two lighthouses in this special partnership is to highlight the shared heritage between Scotland and Japan and to promote tourism in each other's country," he added.

"These two lighthouses were matched due to the impact they have on the local community and their importance to tourism and maritime history."

The Inubosaki Lighthouse served as the most important coastal lighthouse to support the safety of maritime traffic in the Pacific Ocean approaches, to and from Tokyo Bay.

The Inubosaki Brunton Association was established by the local community to support the research of the lighthouse and to raise public awareness.

On the Mull of Galloway, the former lightkeepers' cottages, engine room, foghorn and 30 acres of heathland were bought by the local community in 2013 and the MGT was formed.

The NLB still owns and operates the lighthouse tower.

It is hoped that other nations with a "shared lighthouse heritage" might follow suit and set up similar twinning arrangements to the Scottish and Japanese sites.