Oil Tankers

HC Deb 07 November 1978 vol 957 cc142-3W

Mr. Bowden

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied that his Department is fully aware of the salvage technology involved in dealing with an oil tanker casualty and is compatent to assess the advice given by experts in the field and has the capacity to reach and implement the right decisions without delay.

Mr. Clinton Davis

In such cases my Department seeks the advice of its standing panel of salvage experts from industry and the Ministry of Defence. Together with the expertise of naval architects, marine engineers and former masters of ships who serve as the Department's marine surveyors, I believe that we have the capacity to reach and implement the right decisions promptly.

Mr. Bowden

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in the light of the three major incidents involving oil tankers between March and October in the current year, he remains satisfied with his Department's estimate that a major incident involving a laden oil tanker can be expected, about once in a decade in the Dover Strait and less frequently in less congested waters, and that contingency plans should be geared to such an estimate.

Mr. Clinton Davis

Serious though the "Eleni V" and "Christos Bitas" incidents were, the amounts of oil spilled were not out of line with the generality of such incidents or remotely comparable with the amount spilled from the "Amoco Cadiz". Consequently, I see no reason to revise the thinking underlying our review of contingency measures.

	Percentage change compared with previous quarter	Percentage increase over corresponding quarter of previous year
	Increase	Decrease
October—December 1977
Imports	5.0	—	11.8
Exports	1.4	—	15.0
January—March 1978
Imports	9.8	—	16.5
Exports	1.9	—	11.8
April—June 1978
Imports	14.7	—	20.2
Exports	10.2	—	12.1
July—September 1978
Imports	—	8.9	20.4
Exports	—	8.2	4.5

Source: United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics, SITC Sections 5–8 inclusive.

Mr. Gould

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what share of world trade in manufactured goods British exports had for each of the last 12 quarters.

Mr. Meacher

The United Kingdom's share of world trade in manufactured goods is normally measured in terms of