The Gulf: Merchant Shipping Contracts (Hansard, 13 February 1991)

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, all eligible British shipping companies are able to compete for MoD charters but few companies have put ships forward for use in the Gulf. The safety of merchant seamen entering the Gulf is primarily a matter for the shipping 111 companies concerned although we are providing advice and assistance to shipping companies as appropriate.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, I am sorry that the Minister did not care to deal with the second part of the Question, which is very important. Is the noble Earl saying that the jobs have to be tendered for? The figures I have been given show that only seven ships of the 123 in use by our forces are crewed and registered in Britain. Have we not come to a sorry pass when the Government were warned in your Lordships' House by noble and gallant Lords with extensive sea service and by Select Committees in another place that the merchant navy was being run down to a dangerously low level? Will the Government put that matter right?
On the second part of my Question, is the Minister aware that according to my information no such protection has been afforded the crews of these ships? If that is so, why is the situation allowed to continue? These men are in as much danger as anyone on any of the warships.

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, the noble Lord is not quite correct in the last part of his assumption. The merchant navy ships do not have to advance or sail nearly as far forward as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. Therefore, their assessment of risk is considerably less than those in the front line who are serving the Royal Navy. It is for that reason that we give them advice and also assistance in the form of NBC respirators.

Lord Bruce of Donington
My Lords, are we to understand from the noble Earl's reply that the British merchant fleet is no longer entitled to the protection of the Royal Navy?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, that is not quite the point of the Question. As the noble Lord, Lord Dean of Beswick, said, a total of 130 vessels have been chartered by the Government for use in the Gulf of which only seven are British flagged. The rate of protection depends upon the assessment in the area.

§ Lord Colnbrook
My Lords, my noble friend said in his original Answer that British ship owners had not tendered for very many contracts to serve in the Gulf. If the Government decide that they need British ships, have the ship owners said that the ships will be available if required?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, the Government feel that they already have sufficient merchant vessels for the purpose of serving our troops in the Gulf.

§ Earl Attlee
My Lords, is the Minister aware that merchant seamen serving on the ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are kitted out with gas masks and anti-bacteriological equipment? Is he further aware that sailing alongside them might be an ordinary merchant ship whose crew can obtain only one basic item, a gas mask? They have to apply to the embassy in Bahrain and pay more than £100 for each gas mask.

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, that is really not the point. As I have mentioned, I hope very carefully, merchant navy ships will not be sitting alongside the RFA. They will be considerably behind the RFA. In 112 fact the furthest north they will probably advance is A1 Jubayl. If the British ship owner thinks that they require NBC equipment it is his decision as to whether or not they take that equipment. They do receive NBC respirators which play an extremely important part from the point of view of protection against vaporisation.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, is it the case that, if the ship owner decides that the crew needs protection, he has to pay for that protection? Is it further the case that the MoD is providing full protective equipment to journalists in the Gulf? If it is provided to journalists, why not to British merchant seamen?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, as regards the protection of British journalists in the Gulf, obviously they are in a very much more front line area. The rate of risk is assessed to be greater there than it is where the merchant navy is operating—no further north than A1 Jubayl.

§ Lord Mackie of Benshie
My Lords, is not the most disgraceful point about the Minister's reply that only seven of the ships we need to support our troops in the Gulf are British flagged? Surely, something should be done about the flags of convenience under which British ship owners making money in this way are evading their responsibilities to crews. Is this not a matter of grave concern to the Government?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, the main reason for so few companies offering vessels is that either the British flagged ships are generally busy with existing charters or that those put forward do not meet Ministry of Defence specific requirements in the current situation.

§ Lord Greenway
My Lords, does the noble Earl agree that the present situation in the Gulf amply demonstrates the need for a strong merchant navy? Is he aware of reports in the shipping press last week that foreign ship owners who have ships on charter to the Ministry of Defence are urgently seeking British seafarers to replace third world crews who have refused to sail into the war zone?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord about the continuing necessity for a strong merchant navy. Indeed, over the past few years, the Government have done much to improve the quality of life in the merchant navy.

§ Lord Callaghan of Cardiff
My Lords, is it not the case that there is a shortage of British ships and especially of British seafarers? Can the noble Earl tell us what progress is being made as regards the strategic review of our maritime needs which was promised in the joint working party report? Further, can he say when that report is likely to be published and what conclusions it reached?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I am afraid that I am not able to answer such a question without prior notice. However, I shall certainly write to the noble Lord on the matter and place a copy of the letter in the Library.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, does the Minister not understand that many Members of your 113 Lordships' House think that it is a very dangerous policy to allow such a huge percentage of our logistic support for this operation to be dependent upon market forces—that is what the Minister said—and foreign companies which have no loyalty to the Crown? Have we not learnt our lesson from the reluctance shown by the Belgians before finally deciding to provide us with ammunition? Therefore, would it not be better for us to do this ourselves? Will the Minister kindly convey that message to the Government?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, as I indicated in a previous answer, it is felt that the Government have sufficient vessels of the merchant fleet to supply our troops in the Gulf. That remains the case.