Boat carrying stranded Scots sea cadets docks

Numerous Hanjin ships have been stranded since the company encountered financial troubles. Picture; Getty

A ship carrying four officer cadets from a British college has docked in Singapore after the company they were training with filed for bankruptcy, leaving them stranded.

The cadets from Clyde Marine Training had been on a placement with South Korean company Hanjin Shipping as part of their City of Glasgow College course when the firm hit financial trouble.

Thousands of seafarers were affected as ports around the world refused to allow Hanjin ships to dock.

One of the cadets, Ruaridh Hanna, 22, from Beauly in the Highlands, has been serving on a Hanjin Shipping container vessel for three months.

His mother, Rhona Maclennan, told BBC Scotland the ship had now docked in Singapore and described it as a “big relief”.

She said: “There were so many worries and uncertainties about how long they were likely to be at sea.”

Ms Maclennan said her son is expected to be back in the UK by Thursday morning.

She has not yet been able to speak to her son, and said she could only communicate with him via email over the past few weeks.

Information about the situation was “very thin on the ground” for the cadets on board the ship, she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“Nobody seemed to know what was happening, I think that was the hardest part.”

Ms Maclennan added: “They weren’t allowed to go into port. There was a supply boat went in about a week ago to resupply the boat and the cadets were told they would possibly get off on that but that never happened, so their hopes were dashed.

“I think that was the hardest part for them, not knowing, and they were told they could still be on the boat up ‘til December, which wasn’t great news.”

It is understood Singapore’s High Court granted a temporary reprieve for the ships to dock without fear of being seized.

The cadets had joined the Liberia-flagged Hanjin Louisiana in May and were due to leave the 40,855gt vessel on September 2.