THE captain of a chemical tanker was using a mobile phone when the ship ran aground in the Solent, it has been revealed.

An investigation carried out by experts at the Department for Transport has concluded that the skipper was not paying attention to the ship's course.

The Southampton-based Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report recommends stricter controls on the passage of large vessels using the western Solent and the Needles Channel.

The Italian-registered Attilio Levoli ran aground off Lymington on June 3 last year. She had just loaded a cargo of toluene and styrene monomer at Fawley Refinery, but there was no pollution or injuries. The MAIB report says: "The master decided to proceed to the English Channel via the western Solent and the Needles Channel, as he had done on a previous occasion six weeks before.

"This was contrary to his company's standing instructions that required its vessels to use the east Solent route when arriving or sailing from Southampton."

More than 2,000 vessels carrying crude oil and chemical products call at the Fawley Marine Terminal every year.

The report says the pilot disembarked at the East Lepe Buoy, where the tanker's automatic steering was engaged. It adds: "The master was not paying attention to the navigation of the vessel and was using the ship's mobile telephone.

"The use of the telephone distracted the master from his primary responsibilities."

Large vessels carrying hazardous cargoes often pass through the west Solent and Needles Channel and it is a cause for concern, says the report.

"The route passes through an environmentally sensitive area but the navigable channel is narrow, there is no pilotage available and the area is not monitored by any local vessel traffic system."

The report calls for an effective regime for the control and direction of all large vessels that use the western Solent or Needles Channel.