§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the number of merchant vessels in the United Kingdom fleet(a) today and (b) 15 years ago; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decline.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe number of merchant vessels—over 500 gross registered tonnes—in the United Kingdom fleet, including Crown dependencies, but excluding British dependent territories overseas at 28 February 1990 were as follows:
Year Number 1975 1,776 1990 444 The number of ships on the United Kingdom register reduced as a consequence of the general decline in world shipping from the economically unsustainable levels of the 1970s. Changes in trading patterns, notably arising from adjustments to oil price increases, particularly affected the United Kingdom tanker fleet. Additionally, British operators have withdrawn from less profitable shipping sectors and concentrated on the higher value-added sectors.