Officer drunk when ship ran aground in Ardnamurchan Published duration 19 November 2015

media caption The Lysblink Seaways ran aground at full speed

The officer on watch when a cargo ship ran aground on Scotland's north west coast was drunk, according to a new report on February's incident.

The Lysblink Seaways ran aground at full speed near Kilchoan in the Ardnamurchan Peninsula.

The officer, a 36-year-old Russian, had drunk half a litre of rum earlier in the evening, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch report said.

The boat was salvaged and is in the process of being scrapped.

In the report, the MAIB said warning systems that would have alerted the officer on watch (OOW) that the ship was off course and at potential risk had been turned off.

The report said: "The OOW lost situational awareness while under the influence of alcohol."

image copyright PA image caption The ship was eventually salvaged and scrapped

Lysblink Seaways, which was travelling from Belfast to Skogn in Norway, remained aground for almost two days.

Bad weather "pounded" the ship against the rocky foreshore, the MAIB said.

The boat's hull was damaged and some fuel tanks were breached causing 25 tonnes of marine gas oil to enter the sea.

Among the failings identified by inspectors was the owner's zero alcohol policy not being "effectively implemented".