§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about how many British merchant vessels visit Russian ports each week; and what security is imposed on the British crews by the Soviet authorities.
§ Mr. RifkindWe have no precise information about the number of British vessels which visit Soviet ports each week. According to our latest information 87 British vessels made port calls in Soviet ports in 1983.
The regulations governing British seamen in Soviet ports are set out in the Anglo-Soviet treaty on merchant navigation. This provides for British seamen to be admitted to the Soviet Union without visas for shore leave or on the termination of their engagement. They may also enter the Soviet Union to join the crew of a vessel provided they have visas and a written declaration from a shipping company or its agents that they are to join a specified vessel at a specified port.