§ Mr. PrescottTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost to date of chartering Merchant Navy vessels to assist in Gulf military operations.
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§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIt is not the Department's policy to make public how much it has paid for the charter of merchant vessels.
§ Mr. PrescottTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many merchant ships have been chartered by his Department to assist in the Gulf military operation; aid what are the names of the ships, sizes and flags of registration.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonForty-three merchant vessels have been chartered to date. Details are as follows:
Name of vessel Size (DWT) Flag Dana Cimbria 6,897 Denmark Scheldemond 3,309 St. Vincent Jolly Turchese 19,420 Italy Mercandian Queen II 7,200 Denmark Alsyta Smits 6,110 Netherlands Tor Caledonia 9,882 Denmark Roseanne 4,106 Cyprus Seabird 4,270 Denmark Arcade Falcon 6,575 Norway Nordic Pride 5,350 Sweden Cala Atlantica 12,628 Panama Baltic Eider 12,830 United Kingdom Nornews Service 4,000 Norway Atlantica 3,502 Cyprus Roro Runner 4,720 Panama Guyanne 8,771 Cyprus Mungo 15,599 Bahamas Bakengracht 3,445 Netherlands Cecilia 1 6,000 Netherlands Brabo 3,600 Cyprus Admiralengracht 11,300 Netherlands Baltic Eagle 9,450 United Kingdom Mirach 4,800 Cyprus Barentzgracht 3,445 Netherlands Kasmariane 6,881 Norway Snoekgracht 3,300 Netherlands Swan 4,792 Netherlands Stig Gorthon 8,873 Sweden Arroyofrio Dos 4,600 Spain Conro Trader 4,350 Antigua Nomadic Patria 17,160 Norway Sea Pearl 3,880 Bahamas Conti Britannia 7,443 Germany Slotegracht 6,195 Netherlands Aetos 4,751 Greece Geroro 4,350 Norway Sat Mars 15,518 Bahamas Askania 3,560 Antigua Sylt 3,000 Germany Makiri 3,000 Cyprus Beaulieu 4,800 Cyprus Margaretha 3,676 Cyprus Godewind 3,693 Germany
§ Mr. MarlowTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the rate of casualties if military action were to commence in the Gulf.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe number of casualties which might result from any military action could vary considerably depending on a wide range of factors. It is not the practice to comment on details of contingency plans.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 26 October,Official Report, column 340, what other forms of support are being provided to United Kingdom forces by host nations in the Gulf; what other countries apart from the host nations have provided assistance; what form this assistance has taken; what are the further ways in which United 757W Kingdom allies might assist our forces in the Gulf; and what is the exact amount of financial assistance that has been provided by foreign Governments to date for the support of United Kingdom forces in the Gulf.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 30 October at column 856. In addition, as agreed by Ministers at their meeting in Paris on 18 September, the WEU nations continue to provide mutual assistance in the deployment of forces. We are also continuing to negotiate a range of further assistance with our allies. Details of these negotiations are confidential.