HC Deb 18 February 1993 vol 219 cc286-7W
Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of foreign ships inspected in British ports in each of the last five years under the provisions of the 1982 memorandum of understanding to secure compliance of ships with international standards; how many ships were found to have deficiencies; under which flag those ships with deficiencies were sailing and what was the amount of deficiencies per individual country; how many ships were detained pending the correction of deficiencies; and what financial penalties were imposed.

Mr. Norris

The numbers of foreign flag ships inspected under the provisions of the memorandum of understanding on port state control 1982 and the number found to have at least one deficiency were as follows:

Year Number Number with deficiencies
1988 1839 915
1989 1,692 1,003
1990 2,118 1,272
1991 2,500 1,647
1992 12,105 11,439
1 Provisional figure

Deficiencies were found on ships flying the following flags during 1991 and 1992:

Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Netherland Antilles, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudia Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Togo, Turkey, Tunisia, Tuvalu, USA, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia.

The average numbers of deficiencies per ship inspection for the port state control region as a whole were:

Year Number
1988 1.35
1989 1.49
1990 1.62
1991 1.80
1992 1
1 Not yet available.

Individual figures for the United Kingdom are not readily available; nor are figures for individual flags.

The numbers of foreign ships detained were:

Year Number
1988 37
1989 44
1990 79
1991 116
1992 124

Financial penalties cannot readily be measured, but usually comprise three main elements: the often considerable loss of revenue arising from delays in sailing, the cost of rectifying deficiencies found and the cost of any further inspection to ensure that these deficiencies have been satisfactorily rectified.