§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken in response to the complaint made to his Department by Mr. S. Norman in January concerning the infringement of safety standards relating to the MV Polly Anna; what information he has on the whereabouts of the MV Polly Anna; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlinFollowing the complaint in December 1990, my Department placed the Polly Anna, which is not a UK-registered vessel, on the watchlist for inspection if it returned to the UK. However, in Janauary the vessel was detained by the Gibraltar authorities because of its general condition, the condition of its equipment and its lack of proper certification.
The vessel broke the detention order by sailing from Gibraltar on 26 January. She was immediately placed on the watchlists of all other administrations which are signatories of the memorandum of understanding on port state control. It is now understood that shortly after this the vessel was detained in Greece, and abandoned by its crew. My Department has sought further details from the Greek authorities.