§ Mr. Laurance Reedasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organisation to provide a real time information service of noxious or hazardous cargoes carried by shipping, so that coastal States may have some forewarning of the pollution threat that may follow a maritime casualty.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe majority of cargo vessels and many passenger vessels carry dangerous cargoes to some extent. These can be loaded and off-loaded at any number of ports of call during a single voyage. The establishment of a complete information service covering vessels of all flags on all voyages is therefore unlikely.
397WThe British Government are, however, putting a proposal to I.M.C.O. urgently that where vessels carrying hazardous cargoes are involved in incidents in which the cargoes are lost or might be lost, the Governments of countries whose coastlines are at risk should be informed immediately by the flag State.
§ Mr. Laurance Reedasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organisation to study the storage and packaging of hazardous cargoes, other than radioactive materials, with a view to minimising pollution risks following a maritime casualty.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantFollowing an initiative by the British Government, the Maritime Safety Committee of the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organisation at its 24th Session in September, 1971, extended the terms of reference of its Dangerous Goods Sub-Committee requiring it to review the existing internationally agreed standards of packaging and stowage for dangerous goods cargoes so as to minimise the risk to the marine environment following any shipping incident involving such cargoes.