HC Deb 17 December 1991 vol 201 cc111-2W
Ms. Quin

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which shipyards participated in the study to compare build costs in Europe and the far east, undertaken for the European Commission by TECNECON, giving the figures by country for each ship type examined.

Mr. Leigh

[holding answer 12 December 1991]: The TECNECON study for the European Commission covered 12 ship types. Twenty-one shipyards from member states participated in the provision of cost data. Details are as follows:

Ship type Shipyard/ Country
VLCC (280,000 dwt) (double skin) Harland and Wolff (United Kingdom)
Odense (Denmark)
HDW (Germany)
Suezmax tanker (140,000 dwt) (double skin) Harland and Wolff (United Kingdom)
Solisner-Estalieros Navais SA (Portugal)
Odense (Denmark)
Astilleros Espanoles (Spain)
Fincantieri (Italy)
Aframax tanker (85,000 dwt) (double skin) Fincantieri (Italy)
B & W (Denmark)
Astilleros Espanoles (Spain)
Product tanker (40,000 dwt) Kvaerner Govan (United Kingdom)
B & W (Denmark)
Astilleros Espanoles (Spain)
Cape bulker (150,000 dwt) Fincantieri (Italy)
Harland and Wolff (United Kingdom)
Odense (Denmark)
Large container (3,500 TEU) Bremer Vulkan (Germany)
HDW (Germany)
Odense (Denmark)
Small container (1,700 TEU) (geared) HDW (Germany)
Bremer Vulkan (Germany)
Chantiers de l'Atlantique (France)
Odense (Denmark)
Verolme (Netherlands)
Chemical carrier (3,000 dwt) Sietas (Germany)
Verolme (Netherlands)
Aarhus (Denmark)
Cochrane (United Kingdom)
LPG carrier (18,000 cm) Odense (Denmark)
Kvaerner Govan (United Kingdom)
Meyer (Germany)
Reefer (600,000 ft3) Bremer Vulkan (Germany)
Astilleros Espanoles (Spain)
Boelwerf NV (Belgium)
Van der Giessen (Netherlands)
Kvaerner Govan (United Kingdom)
Danyard (Denmark)

Ship type Shipyard/Country
Ferry (2,000 passengers) (600 cars) Chantier de l'Atlantique (France)
Bremer Vulkan (Germany)
Boelwerf NV (Belgium)
Van der Giessen (Netherlands)
Fincantieri (Italy)
Astilleros Espanoles (Spain)
Tug (4,000 bhp) Dunston (United Kingdom)
Damen (Netherlands)
Aarhus (Denmark)
Chantiers Naval De Rupelmonde (Belgium)

Cost data submitted by individual shipyards are commercially confidential.

Ms. Quin

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations his Department has had with United Kingdom shipbuilders on the level of aid for EC shipbuilding for 1992 under the terms of the EC seventh shipbuilding directive.

Mr. Leigh

[holding answer 12 December 1991]: I met representatives of the Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers Association, at their request, on 26 November to discuss a number of issues including the 1992 levels of aid for shipbuilding within the European Community.

Ms. Quin

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his Department's position on the level of state aid for shipbuilding for 1992 under the terms of the seventh EC shipbuilding directive.

Mr. Leigh

[holding answer 12 December 1991]: The Government's position on state aid for shipbuilding remains unchanged. We are in favour of the multilateral phasing out of subsidies.

The European Commission is expected to announce shortly its aid ceilings for 1992 under the seventh directive on aid to shipbuilding. Our own levels will be decided in the light of the announcement and will come into effect on 1 January 1992. Details will be given to the House in due course.