§ Mr. Alan JohnsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in what year side scan sonar equipment became available to(a) the Royal Navy and (b) offshore oil exploration companies. [20358]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonSide scan sonar equipment has been available to the Royal Navy since the Second World War. It was optimised for use in the relatively shallow waters of the Continental Shelf. In the mid-1970s the capability of equipment held by commercial oil exploration companies to locate and identify objects on the seabed was similar to that available to the Royal Navy.