§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will report on progress made at a meeting of the IMO sub-committee674W on the safety of navigation held in September on the subject of the mandatory carriage requirement for transponders; and if he will make a statement. [94603]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 20 October 1999]The International Maritime Organisation' s (IMO) sub-committee on the safety of navigation (NVA 45) met from 20-24 September 1999 and developed a draft regulation for the phased introduction of a mandatory carriage requirement for ship identification transponders. The draft Regulation envisages new ships being fitted by 1 July 2002, with step-by-step application to existing ships between then and 2008. The draft will be further discussed at the 72" session of the IMO safety committee in May 2000.