§ Mr. Woolmerasked the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of the shipping services supporting and servicing the exploration and exploitation of the United Kingdom offshore oil and gas industry is supplied by United Kingdom flag ships.
§ Mr. GrayThis information is not normally available either in the Department of Energy or Department of Trade. The data which is provided in the attached table has been produced through a special exercise. However it does 143W not provide a complete answer as the number and disposition of small standby vessels is not available without extensive additional work.
The exact number of vessels changes frequently as charter periods end and others start. There is also a seasonal effect as more vessels are employed during the summer months on offshore construction work.
The figures given in the table represent our estimate of the vessels on contract to oil and gas companies operating on the United Kingdom continental shelf in early February 1983.
Service and support vessels on contract on the UKCS Total No. British Percentage British Flag Supply boats/anchor handling/supply vessels 115 58 50 Diving support vessels and rapid intervention vessels 22 13 59 Accommodation units 5 0 0