§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has 353W made of proposals from the International Maritime Organisation to phase out single hull tankers, following the Erika oil spill disaster; what discussions have taken place; and what steps his Department has taken to take these proposals forward. [86101]
§ Mr. JamiesonFollowing the loss of the tanker Erika in December 1999, the UK, jointly with Denmark and the Netherlands, took the lead in securing mandatory change to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) MARPOL Convention to accelerate the international timetable to phase out single hull oil tankers. To ensure unambiguous enforcement through Port State Control in the EU area we have also supported the EU Regulation which has imposed the IMO text in EU member states. At last week's Transport Council it was agreed to invite a proposal from the Commission to accelerate the timetable even further and to consider how the carriage of heavy oil in single hull tankers might be restricted.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken since October 2000 to(a) accelerate the phasing out of single hull oil tankers and (b) amend the MARPOL Convention; and what the outcome was. [86102]
§ Mr. JamiesonIn October 2000 the Transport Council approved proposals put forward by the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands for a common approach in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to accelerate the existing international timetable for the phasing out of single hull oil tankers. In April 2001, following negotiations in which the UK played a major part, IMO reached agreement on an amending the MARPOL convention under which single hull tankers having no protection would be phased out in order of age between 2003 and 2007. Under the same agreement partially protected tankers would be phased out of EU ports in order of age between 2003 and 2015. At last week's Transport Council it was agreed to invite a proposal from the Commission to accelerate the timetable even further and to consider how the carriage of heavy oil in single hull tankers might be restricted.
§ Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the risk of large oil spills from single hulled oil tankers in UK waters. [83028]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe risks of shipping incidents and of the resulting oil spills have been modelled as part of the analysis of the environmental characteristics and pollution risks of the entire coastline. The results are reported in "Identification of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRA) in the UK" published by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in December 1999.
The UK has made it a high priority to reduce the risk of oil spills occurring, and to minimise the impact of any spill which does occur. We have responded positively to the large number of detailed recommendations contained in Lord Donaldson's report "Safer Ships, 354W Cleaner Seas" (1994) and his Review of Salvage and Intervention and their Command and Control (1999). The measures which we have taken include:
Comprehensive surveys of shipping movements;Implementing a range of ship routeing measures around the coast;Locating all-year round Emergency Towing Vessels at four points around the UK coasts;Supporting the mandatory carriage of transponders to allow shipping movements around our coasts to be identified and monitored;Creating a new function, the Secretary of State's Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP) to provide overall command and control of operations during marine emergencies;Updating and publishing the UK's revised "National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations", which clarifies the role of the relevant agencies and ensures that environmental considerations are now fully integrated with operational response procedures. This plan is compatible with the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation 1990.At the recent Transport Council, we agreed to invite a proposal from the Commission to accelerate the timetable for phasing out single hull tankers even further, and to consider how the carriage of heavy oil in single hull tankers might be restricted, with a view to reducing the risk of a spill from a single hull oil tanker even more.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Prestige oil tanker has docked in the UK in the last 10 years; what safety measures are in place governing entry into UK docks for oil tankers; what measures he is taking to improve safety measures on oil tankers; what plans he has to work with European partners to bring forward the date for outlawing single-hulled oil tankers; and if he will make a statement on the reduction in size of the largest oil tankers in order to improve safety. [83151]
§ Mr. Jamieson[holding answer 28 November 2002]The records which would enable the movements of this vessel to be plotted over the last 10 years are not readily available. However, records of ship movements for the last five years have been placed in the House Libraries. These record sightings of the PRESTIGE and details of its entries into port. They indicate that the PRESTIGE has called three times at UK ports (Tees in October 1998 and at Tees Bay and Tees in May 1999). The database of inspections under the port state control system does not record ship movements but does indicate that the vessel was inspected in Hull in July 1995 and has not been inspected in a UK port since then.
The movement and manoeuvring of vessels in harbours is the responsibility of the harbour authorities.
Since July 2002 the International Safety Management Code has applied to most vessels trading internationally. It is the international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention.
The UK was instrumental in securing international agreement to accelerate the phasing out of single hull tankers of 20,000 tons deadweight or more. Those 355W having no additional protection must be phased out in order of age no later than the dates in the following timetable:
Single hull tankers of 20,000 tons deadweight or more having a degree of additional protection, and all those between 5,000 to 20,000 tones deadweight, must he phased out in order of age no later than the following dates:
- 2003 for ships delivered in 1973 or earlier,
- 2004 for ships delivered in 1974 and 1975,
- 2005 for ships delivered in 1976 and 1977,
- 2006 for ships delivered in 1978, 1979 and 1980,
- 2007 for ships delivered in 1981 or later.
Shipbuilding and shipowning are long-term commitments. Investment in the newer double hull tankers depends on the stability offered by this timetable. There is no evidence that reducing the size of oil tankers will improve safety. However, at the recent Transport Council, we agreed to invite a proposal from the Commission to accelerate the timetable for phasing out single hull tankers even further, and to consider how the carriage of heavy oil in single hull tankers might be restricted, with a view to reducing the risk of a spill from a single hull tanker even more.
- 2003 for ships delivered in 1973 or earlier,
- 2004 for ships delivered in 1974 and 1975,
- 2005 for ships delivered in 1976 and 1977,
- 2006 for ships delivered in 1978 and 1979,
- 2007 for ships delivered in 1980 and 1981,
- 2008 for ships delivered in 1982,
- 2009 for ships delivered in 1983,
- 2010 for ships delivered in 1984,
- 2011 for ships delivered in 1985,
- 2012 for ships delivered in 1986,
- 2013 for ships delivered in 1987,
- 2014 for ships delivered in 1988,
- 2015 for ships delivered in 1989 or later.