§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he takes to inspect ships not registered in the United Kingdom concerning their compliance with international or recognised insurance requirements; and how many vessels were inspected for this specific purpose, or in the course of other inspections, respectively in 1989.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe Secretary of State has no general powers to inspect ships not registered in the United Kingdom regarding the insurance cover they carry. Special provisions apply to oil tankers. The 1969 civil liability convention for oil pollution damage, enacted in the United Kingdom under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution) Act 1971, requires the Secretary of State to ensure the presence of an appropriate insurance certificate on board vessels which transport oil in bulk. The surveyor general's organisation examines these certificates under its port state control inspection procedure. Customs authorities are similarly charged with inspecting the certificates. There is no available information on how many insurance certificates of non-United Kingdom-registered bulk oil carriers were inspected in 1989, under this procedure.