§ 16. Lieut.-Commander Fletcherasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how much oil is used annually by the ships of the Royal Navy; what are the sources of supply; and what is the amount of tonnage required for its import?
Mr. CooperAs regards the annual consumption of oil fuel by ships of the Royal Navy, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the last First Lord, to the question asked by the hon. Member for Gateshead (Mr. Magnay) on 29th April. As regards the second part of the question, the main sources of supply are Iran and Trinidad, and there are small local purchases chiefly from Borneo and the United States of America. As regards the third part, the Admiralty's fleet of tankers engaged on the import and distribution of oil consists of 27 vessels averaging approximately 9,000 tons cargo capacity each.
§ Lieut.-Commander FletcherDoes that fleet of tankers suffice for these imports of oil?