§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 23 February 2004,Official Report, column 44W, on foreign ships, whether his Department has a maximum age for ships it charters; and what the age was of the oldest ship chartered by his Department in relation to the recent conflict in Iraq. [157003]
§ Mr. IngramThe Ministry of Defence does not stipulate a maximum age for ships it charters. As I indicated in my previous answer, age is one of several important criteria which are used to assess suitability for use.
The oldest foreign flagged freight-carrying ship chartered for the Iraq campaign was 30 years old. The oldest UK-flagged ship was 25 years old. Port State Inspections completed on the two ships prior to charter revealed no deficiencies and both ships completed their tasking to the full satisfaction of the MOD.