Concerning Marine Accident Investigation Branch Findings

That the Parliament notes with extreme concern the findings of a report carried out by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) into a close-quarters' incident between the roll-on/roll-off Stena Superfast VII ferry and a Royal Navy submarine in the North Channel between Cairnryan and Northern Ireland on 6 November 2018; notes that the report, which was published on 16 July 2020, found that, on 6 November 2018, the lookout officer on board the ferry spotted a submarine’s periscope close ahead and alerted the Officer of the Watch, who took immediate and effective action, turning the ferry to avoid a genuine risk of collision with the submerged submarine; notes that the report concluded that this incident occurred because the submarine’s control room team had underestimated the ferry’s speed and overestimated its range, resulting in safety-critical decisions being made based on inaccurate information; understands that, despite a significant and life-threatening collision not taking place on this particular occasion, this is the third occasion over a four-year period in which a Royal Navy dived-submarine and surface vessel have either come into contact or have been at immediate risk of doing so; agrees with the MAIB that these incidents are a significant cause for concern and joins it in calling for an independent review of the actions that have been taken by the Royal Navy both pre- and post- the November 2018 incident, to ensure that such occurrences are avoided in future, and agrees with the position of the Scottish Government that weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, have no place in Scotland and that these weapons pose a significant and unnecessary risk to the safety of the people of Scotland and the wider international community.