§ Sir Nicholas BonsorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date, for what purpose and for how many days MV Belvaux was chartered by his Department; what nature of cargo the vessel was intended to carry; for how many of the days chartered the vessel was employed on other tasks for his Department; when the charter was cancelled; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HanleyThe MV Belvaux was taken up on time charter on 26 January 1993 against a contingency of transporting artillery units at short notice to reinforce the troops deployed by Bosnia. The charter lasted for 117 days and was relinquished on 22 May 1993 once developments in the former republic of Yugoslavia justified its termination. During the period of the time charter it was possible to make 23 days' use of the vessel for other purposes without compromising availability for the primary contingency task.