KIELDER

One of the four coasters lying at the Tail o' the Bank awaiting the reopening of the river is Stephenson Clarke's KIELDER. This ship, loaded with a cargo of aggregates, was built in 1983 as the East German naval tanker MONCHGUT, by VEB Schiffswerft 'Neptun' at Rostock. In 1991, she became EIDE RESCUE II, under the Norwegian flag. Following a rebuild, conversion to a cargo ship in 1995, and later lengthening in 1999, she was renamed STALVANG. After carrying other names and sailing for different owners, she joined her current owner's fleet and was renamed KIELDER in 2003. Self-discharging, she is 3,000 tonnes deadweight, and 89.97 metres long. She is registered in the Isle of Man. Passing beyond KIELDER is the Svitzer tug AYTON CROSS, which arrived back on the Clyde early this morning. She was returning to Greenock from Finnart, where she had been berthing the tanker ALFA GERMANIA, with assistance from IMPETUS and IMPULSE.

The River Clyde remained closed today, despite earlier suggestions that it may have reopened on a partial basis. Following specialist salvage divers from Holland joining police in the hazardous operation, two bodies have now been recovered from inside the wreck of FLYING PHANTOM.