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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Fionnuala Boyle

Tense moment large cargo ship runs aground on River Clyde as coastguard races to scene

A large cargo ship destined for Glasgow ran aground along the banks of the River Clyde yesterday morning, sparking an emergency response from the coastguard.

The Wilson Blyth, which sails under the flag of Barbados, got into trouble in the water at Erskine around 11am after the vessel ran aground just metres from the shore while attempting to sail upward toward the city.

Heart-stopping footage, which was shared on social media, shows the moment the ship came to an abrupt halt in the Renfrewshire town, with the impact of the stop causing waves to momentarily engulf the bottom of the vessel.

Crew members can be seen walking back and forth across the deck and looking overboard, presumably in a state of confusion as the ship moves and drifts ever so slightly with the tempo of the water, although it is largely stationary.

Another video taken at the scene shows the Greenock Coastguard Rescue thundering towards the stranded vessel after they were called into assist. The team appear to converse with those onboard before attaching a thick rope to the ship.

The incident took place around 11am and was resolved in less than two hours (David Stevenson)

Two tugboats then slowly pull the vessel into the centre of the river. Around 11.50am, the coastguard confirmed they managed to free it from the river bed and were towing it safely onto Glasgow.

The ship, which is 88 metres long and 13 metres wide, set sail from Stokmarknes in Norway on Monday, July 11 and last called into port in Greenock around 9am before setting off for its next destination.

Tugboats helped to get the vessel back on track after it ran aground (David Stevenson)

It is understood there were no injuries as a result of the incident.

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