HC Deb 07 February 1975 vol 885 cc640-1W
Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain, and publish in the Official Report, the total tonnage of crude oil and oil products that entered the Thames Estuary for each of the years 1964 to 1974, inclusive; and his estimate of the growth of this traffic over each of the next six years, assuming the proposed new refineries at Canvey Island and Cliffe are built and become operational.

Mr. Mulley

Information has been provided by the Port of London Authority for traffic with destinations other than the Medway, and by the Port of Medway Authority for destinations in the Medway. Tonnages of oil moving in and out of the Thames estuary:

Units million tonnes
Period Imports Exports Total*
1964 31.5 13.0 44.5
1965 33.0 13.3 46.3
1966 35.7 15.8 51.5
1967 37.7 15.7 53.4
1968 37.4 15.4 52.8
1969 37.8 13.7 51.5
1970 38.2 14.6 52.8
1971 36.6 12.1 48.7
1972 38.5 12.9 51.4
1973 38.9 13.9 52.8
1974 35.4 11.6 47.0
* The figures include oil brought into the estuary and subsequently re-exported.

Estimates of future tonnages are not available, but some indication of future trends might be derived from the terminal capacities proposed for the Canvey Island and Cliffe refineries, which, it is understood, are as follows:

Canvey Island:
Occidental 6 million tonnes per annum
URL 4 million tonnes per annum
Cliffe:
Burmah/Total 6 million tonnes per annum

Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain, and publish in the Official Report, information relating to the total numbers and tonnage of oil tankers which are expected to enter the Thames Estuary to serve each of the three proposed oil refineries at Canvey Island and Cliffe, respectively, and the total number and tonnages of tankers and other vessels

Burmah/Total, Cliffe Occidental, Canvey Island United Refineries Ltd., Canvey Island
Crude petroleum 75,000 deadweight tons or larger 1 1 1
Petroleum products—
30,000 deadweight tons 1
20,000 deadweight tons 3
13,000–18,000 deadweight tons 1 2
4,000 deadweight tons 5 1
1,500 deadweight tons 7 20
1,000 deadweight tons 3 20
500 deadweight tons 20

Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will obtain, and publish in the Official Report, information regarding the total number of oil tankers and vessels carrying other hazardous cargoes that entered the Thames Estuary in each of the years 1964 to 1974 inclusive.

Mr. Mulley

Most vessels carry some form of hazardous cargo, ranging from paints and matches to chemicals and explosives. The following figures relate to vessels carrying crude oil and oil products, and liquefied natural gas:

Number of Vessels
Period Figures provided by the Port of London Authority Figures provided by the Port of Medway Authority
1964 3,270 1,882
1965 3,450 1,833
1966 3,495 2,145
1967 3,762 2,251
1968 3,832 2,243
1969 3,908 2,166
1970 3,548 1,973
1971 2,940 1,924
1972 2,874 2,226
1973 2,557 2,344
1974 2,403 *
* Not yet available.

Forward to