THE wife of a man killed in the Flying Phantom tragedy has said she wants to try to move on with her life after the Crown Office revealed it will not hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the deaths.

Linda Cameron - whose husband Robert died in the tugboat accident - backed the Crown's decision, saying she felt her questions had already been answered in criminal proceedings against boat owner Svitzer Marine Limited and port operator Clydeport.

The families of Stephen Humphreys and Eric Blackley, who were also killed, are said to be content with the Crown's decision not to hold an inquiry.

Mrs Cameron said: "I'm quite happy at the decision not to go ahead with a Fatal Accident Inquiry. They did ask our opinions before making the decision but I decided there would be nothing to be gained from an FAI."

The Flying Phantom capsized in thick fog on the River Clyde in December 2007. Mr Cameron, 65, from Houston, Mr Humphreys, 33, from Greenock, and Mr Blackley, 57, from Gourock, were all killed, while a fourth crew member, Brian Aitchison, 37, from Coldingham in Berwickshire, managed to swim free from the vessel.

Since then, the men's relatives have faced a lengthy battle to hear what happened on that night.

In October last year, Svitzer pled guilty to health and safety offences and was fined £1.7 million, while Clydeport was fined £650,000 last month after also pleading guilty.

However, trade union Unite claimed that, despite the hefty fines imposed on the firms, the case highlights the urgent need for reform of the FAI system.

A Unite spokesman said: "It's fundamental that the families are satisfied with the determination of the Crown Office and we hope they can find some closure after all they have had to endure.

"Today's determination is another example of the glaring inefficiencies of our civil justice system and the inherent weakness of the system to protect the safety and rights of working people.

"From the outset if we had a swifter and more transparent FAI system then we would not have had to wait nearly seven years for companies like Svitzer Marine and Clydeport to finally admit their guilt - their culpability would have been established much earlier."

A spokesman for the Crown Office confirmed it met with the families affected by the tragedy prior to making their decision,.

Gary Aitken, head of the Crown's Health and Safety Division, said: "We regret the passage of time since that awful night but hope that people understand that, no matter how complex the circumstances or how detailed the investigation, the Crown will continue to hold businesses to account for their failures to discharge their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work legislation to their employees and to anyone else affected by them."

"The convictions mark, in a very public way, the wrongdoing perpetrated by the companies over an extended period of time. Systems have since been put in place to prevent a recurrence and the safety regime for towing operations is far more robust than what existed until 2007."

The Scottish Government has announced plans to overhaul the FAI system but any proposed legislation is not expected to speed up decisions over inquiries when a criminal investigation has been launched.