I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me raise this matter on the Adjournment. I congratulate Deputy Woods, on his appointment as Minister for the Marine and wish him every success. He will be aware that Dublin north-east is a marine constituency and his constituents, like his friends in Howth, will be delighted that he has been appointed Minister for the Marine. I am sure fishermen in particular will be calling on him to make their views known.
The matter I now raise relates to the collision on 21 November 1991 at about 9.25 p.m. between the mv Kilkenny owned by the B & I which was approaching Dublin Port and the mv Hasselswerder on charter to the B & I which was outward bound for Le Harve. The mv Kilkenny sank quickly with the loss of three lives. The rescue services are to be congratulated for the work they did that night. When one considers that 11 of the mv Kilkenny crew were saved within 20 minutes, that is an impressive outcome. Many organisations and institutions were involved in the rescue operation and all are to be congratulated.
On the following day the then Minister for the Marine ordered an inquiry under section 465 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, into the causes of the casualties and collision. I call on the Minister for the Marine tonight to ensure in due course full disclosure of the details of this inquiry. I appreciate that the Minister informed Dáil Éireann on 19 February 1992 that preliminary findings have already been submitted to the Garda Síochána and that the file may end up with the Director of Public Prosecutions. However, I stress that following the Garda investigation the families of the three crew members who died that night have a right to full disclosure of the facts. A similar marine tragedy took place in Ballycotton, albeit involving different circumstances. The public on that occasion demanded an inquiry and subsequently demanded full publication of the facts of that tragedy, so the precedent is there.
There are many unanswered qúestions in relation to the collision in November 1991 and the public has a right to answers in due course. Everybody would like to know who was to blame for the tragedy. It has been asked why two ultra-modern ships, with sophisticated equipment, on a calm night, in an almost traffic free port, were involved in such a collision.
Another important question has arisen since that night, why no helicopter from the Air Corps in Baldonnel was requested. One would have thought that Baldonnel was much nearer to the scene of the tragedy than other helicopter bases. It has also been asked, why the lifeboats at Howth and Dún Laoghaire only put to sea one hour after the disaster. These questions come from the public and answers are being sought. Above everything else, we need to ensure that a similar tragedy never happens again. We need to know what lessons we must learn and if new procedures should be designed to avoid other accidents. In short, the public are entitled to know all the facts.
It has also emerged that corrosive organic acid on board the mv Kilkenny was declared as furniture on the ship's manifest. This is a serious situation with great consequences for public health and safety. Bags containing chemicals were washed up on Dollymount Strand in Clontarf. The health and safety of residents in Clontarf then and on following days was put at risk. Such incidents should not be allowed to happen again.
It has been pointed out that an antiquated cargo listing system is used by Irish shipping companies, a manual system that must surely be open to error. I have read reports about what happens in situations like this. It has been suggested, for example, that when a ship is leaving port there could be a last minute loading of cargo onto the ship if it is realised there is spare capacity. No paperwork may be done in these cases. We need to look at that practice.
The ship's manifest must be accurate. I have seen reports suggesting that up to 40 per cent of a cargo could be mislisted in some way. That is neither efficient nor satisfactory and it must be improved. The listing system is antiquated and the answer maybe to introduce some form of computerisation.
The EC Council of Transport Ministers discussed this matter in December 1991 and were briefed on the mislabelling incident. I would like to ask the Minister if there are any definite proposals from the EC Transport Commissioner on this issue. I understand that proposals from the Commission are expected and that new directives are now being examined. We need to bring these matters to the attention of the Oireachtas to see how we can improve this situation.
Mislabelling of cargo could present a problem for the Customs clearance services where personnel are entitled to know what they are examining. There are questions there in relation to public health and safety and perhaps the body set up to deal with health and safety issues in the workplace could examine that issue also.
Perhaps the Minister could update me on the progress of the salvage operation. Thankfully, we were spared a major oil or diesel spillage in Dublin Bay which would have had serious consequences for beaches and wildlife around the bay area. I imagine most of the oil has now been removed from the ship and perhaps the Minister could assure me that all the dangers have now passed.
There was one other issue I wanted to raise in relation to shipping in the Dublin area which was the recent decision by Irish Continental Lines to aware a tender for the overhaul of the mv Leinster to an English company, Wright and Veyer. It is serious that the ship did not go to an Irish company for service and overhaul and companies in Dublin and Cork and throughout the country could have undertaken this work at competitive prices and completed it to the highest standard. Perhaps the Minister could use his offices to investigate this situation to ensure that Irish Continental Lines in future when examining their ships for service would consider Irish companies. There is no doubt that jobs in Dublin will be at stake if Irish Continental Lines decide to send further ships to England for service and overhaul. I mention that in the context of the overall debate because I know there is much concern about this issue.
