§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce mandatory checks, by way of a waste audit, for all ships calling at British ports. [40412]
§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 1 November 1995]: This is an operational matter for the Marine Safety Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 2 November 1995:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Question about mandatory checks, by way of a waste audit, for all ships calling at British Ports.Internationally agreed regulations within the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78) require that properly maintained oil record books are available for inspection on ships. Oil tankers are required to carry records of their cargo and bilge pumping operations whilst other ships are required to have a record of bilge pumping. To ensure that these requirements and other safety measures are met, the United Kingdom (UK), in co-operation with European neighbours, has introduced port state control procedures. Under these procedures port state control inspectors can, by examining the book, trace the fate of all oils loaded on board ships.Recent amendments to the international regulations (MARPOL 73/78) include a requirement for garbage record books. The UK has been at the forefront of that development and it is anticipated that requirements will be transposed into UK statute when they come into effect in 1997. Other recent amendments to MARPOL 73/78 will call for additional monitoring of potentially polluting shipboard operations. The effects of those amendments will be audited to establish whether further controls are necessary.