§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the high speed sea service catamaran ferries consume more than four times as much fuel per passenger mile than traditional ferries; whether all the environmental implications and costs of these ferries have been evaluated; if so, by whom; and whether the evaluation was taken into account when the use of such ferries was approved. [HL3550]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)We are not able to provide any general information on the fuel consumption of high speed ferries. How this compares with that for traditional ferries will depend upon the type of ferry, the route on which it operates, and how the consumption is measured. However, since fast ferries use refined fuels with a low sulphur content, they should cause less air pollution and present a lower risk of marine pollution than traditional ferries. My noble friend the Baroness Hayman's reply to an earlier question for the noble Lord dealt with the issue of environmental monitoring (22 June, Vol. 591, WA 8).