§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the International Maritime Organisation about international action to combat piracy. [163343]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe United Kingdom, as a permanent member of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), has taken a leading role in addressing the issue of action to combat piracy. Over the past five years the United Kingdom has provided expert assistance in support of several IMO counter piracy missions and seminars to piracy 'hotspot' areas.
The United Kingdom is in the process of implementing IMO requirements for all ships to have internationally agreed security measures in place by July 2004 which will help to protect them from piracy attacks.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what losses were incurred by(a) British-flagged and (b) British-managed ships owing to acts of piracy in each of the last 10 years. [163344]
§ Mr. JamiesonThere was no loss of life as a result of piracy attacks on the British Fleet from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 2003.
During the same period, there were a total of 64 recorded piracy attacks on British registered ships.
There are no available figures for British-managed ships.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the future trends of piracy against British vessels. [163345]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Department works closely with operators of British vessels, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, the International Maritime Bureau and with the International Maritime Organisation to ensure that trends of piracy are monitored and acted upon. This work is carried out in cooperation with IMO member states and the United Kingdom has played a leading role in providing expertise and other resources to help combat acts of piracy worldwide.
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§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met representatives of(a) ship owners and (b) maritime trade unions to discuss piracy. [163346]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe issue of piracy is regularly discussed by officials in the Department with representatives of the UK maritime industry and its trade bodies; in particular the Chamber of Shipping. This is done directly or under the auspices of the National Maritime Security Committee which meets bi-annually. Similarly, meetings are held with representatives of maritime trade unions the most recent of which was with representatives of NUMAST in September 2003.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last discussed sea piracy with the Secretary of State for Defence. [163347]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Secretary of State has regular meetings with his ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of issues relevant to the business of his Department. In addition, his officials are engaged in discussions on piracy with other Government Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and external bodies, including the International Maritime Organisation and the International Maritime Bureau.