WAVERLEY bosses must show how they won't smash the world's last seagoing paddle steamer into a Clyde pier again before getting clearance to dock there for this summer's cruising season.

The stipulation has been set by Port Glasgow-based harbour authority Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) in the wake of the iconic ship's calamitous crash at Brodick last September.

Seventeen people were injured — including a number of Greenock passengers — and a number of casualties were hospitalised following the collision.

The crash, which came following a major £2.3m overhaul of the 75-year-old ship, wrecked last year's sailing schedule — which had already been severely curtailed due to the Covid pandemic.

Now the operators of the vessel, Waverley Excursions, have been summoned to Brodick for a crunch 'navigational risk assessment' meeting with CMAL and Caledonian MacBrayne chiefs next week.

It had been rumoured that Waverley could be banned from three CMAL-run piers on the Clyde — Brodick, Largs and Lochranza — but this was denied as 'inaccurate' by bosses.

However, the Brodick review was confirmed by the Scottish Government-owned harbour infrastructure body.

A CMAL spokesperson said: "CMAL's harbour master and CalMac representatives are due to meet the Waverley team at Brodick next week to review their proposed navigational risk assessment.

"This has been requested following last year's incident at Brodick and they have been asked to demonstrate how they will avoid a recurrence of the incident."

CMAL added: "This is standard practice and applies to all users of all our harbour facilities."

Waverley's crash at Brodick, which occurred on September 3 last year during a cruise from Greenock with around 200 passengers onboard, is currently being examined by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).

The MAIB also probed two previous incidents involving the vessel, which involved her running aground at Girvan, Ayrshire, in July 2006, and south of the Isle of Sanda in June 2004.

Greenock woman Angela Anderson, who was onboard Waverley when she crashed at Brodick last year, said afterwards: "After the crash happened you could tell people had been hurt.

"There was a lady beside me, she must have been in her late 80s.

"She was badly cut near her eye because her glasses had been smashed."

The Telegraph reported in April how one victim of the crash had secured a five-figure sum in damages, in the first confirmed payout over the incident.

A spokesperson for Waverley Excursions said today: "Waverley Excursions has been liaising with all port and pier owners on the Clyde, including CMAL, ahead of releasing the 2021 timetable.

"We will work with CMAL to review operations at Brodick.

"We are grateful for the continued co-operation we receive from CMAL and CalMac to help keep Waverley sailing."