HC Deb 24 April 2002 vol 384 cc292-3W
Mr. Carmichael

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessments his Department have made of safety provisions in the merchant shipping industry relating to tire hazards. [51958]

Mr. Jamieson

The identification and assessment of fire hazards is an integral part of the formal safety assessment procedure, which is currently under way for a variety of ship types. The formal safety assessment approach plays increasing importance in the making of rules and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has formulated "Guidelines for Formal safety assessment for use in the IMO Rule Making Process". A risk assessment study related to domestic passenger ships is currently nearing completion.

More generally, revised regulations for fire protection and extinction (SOLAS chapter II-2) will enter into force internationally on 1 July 2002.

Mrs. May

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the shipping accidents in UK waters in the last 10 years that have resulted in the exposure to the environment of dangerous or hazardous goods. [51247]

Mr. Byers

Complete data are currently available up to the end of 2000. The following table shows reported incidents of pollution of more than two tonnes of material as a result of accidents to commercially operating vessels within the UK's 12 mile territorial limit.

Date Accident type Vessel name(s) Vessel category Goods
3 January 1997 Fires and explosions Tove Knutsen Tanker Oil
26 January 1997 Flooding Margaret Ann Fishing vessel Oil
28 February 1997 Flooding Cordale Barge Gas oil
26 March 1997 Grounding Cita Cargo Fuel oil
30 August 1997 Grounding Aquarius Fishing vessel Fuel oil
2 October 1997 Grounding Damari Fishing vessel Fuel oil
24 October 1997 Grounding Madalia Fishing vessel Fuel oil
26 October 1997 Grounding Alison Kay Fishing vessel Oil
19 November 197 Grounding Green Lily Merchant vessel Fuel and gas oil
29 November 1997 Grounding Kelly Marina Fishing vessel Fuel oil
16 February 1998 Flooding Ternacia Fishing vessel Fuel, lubricating and engine oil
13 October 1998 Grounding Arco Arun Merchant vessel Fuel oil
13 October 1998 Capsize Catrina Fishing vessel Fuel oil
23 March 1999 Collision Samson/Nohic Barge/fishing vessel Gas oil
28 May 1999 Contact Rix Merlin Tanker Gas oil
7 November 1999 Contact Dole America Cargo Lubrication and gas oil
1 March 2000 Machinery Boy Leslie Fishing vessel Diesel oil
29 November 2000 Grounding Dolphin Other commercial Diesel oil
13 December 2000 Grounding Lagik Cargo Diesel oil
20 December 2000 Machinery Randgrid Tanker Crude oil