§ Mr. Campbellasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of his investigation of the employment of British ships by BNOC in its North Sea operations.
§ Dr. J. Dickson MabonI find that 36 per cent. of the fleet currently employed by BNOC is United Kingdom owned or United Kingdom flag. As my right hon. Friend surmised at the end of the debate on the motion for the Adjournment on Tuesday 28th June, BNOC inherited contractual obligations from both742W Burmah and Signal, its predecessors as operators for Thistle. It is thus committed to the long-term charter of four Norwegian supply boats which provide the mainstay of the supply operation for the installation of the Thistle modules and for the hook-up work. However, these boats, although Norwegian flag, were bid by United Kingdom supply boat operators who had no boats of their own available at the time. The Offshore Supplies Office has confirmed that Signal, Burmah and BNOC have been meticulous in giving a full and fair opportunity to United Kingdom supply boat operators to compete for charters.