Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 April 2004
458 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has plans to examine or improve legislation governing the carriage of containers on cargo ships; and if he plans to raise this issue at European level while Ireland has the EU Presidency. [11659/04]
View answer459 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on the number of containers lost at sea during rough weather; and if he has satisfied himself that the conditions under which containers are stored and carried on vessels is adequate to minimise the risk of loss of containers at sea, which may become a serious hazard for other commercial or leisure craft. [11660/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 458 and 459 together.
No containers were reported lost at sea off the Irish coast since 2000 as a result of rough weather. Problems regarding containers falling overboard relate mainly to large container ships. While some of these pass the Irish coast, Ireland does not have deep sea container berths. It is usually smaller feeder ships that call to Irish ports.
The SOLAS convention of the International Maritime Organisation deals with cargo securing on vessels and this requires ships to carry an approved cargo securing manual. My Department's port state control inspectors carry out inspections and regularly review the cargo securing manual of cargo ships visiting our ports. Containers aboard sea going vessels can be lost overboard for various reasons, such as difficult weather conditions, collision or sinking of vessels. Containers, once lost and adrift at sea, represent a danger to commercial and leisure vessels, and their contents might also be harmful to the environment.
Shipmasters are obliged under the SOLAS convention to report any direct danger to navigation in Ireland's search and rescue zone of responsibility to the Irish Coast Guard. This would include details of any container lost from their ships. On receipt of such a report the Coast Guard initiates the procedures of warning other ships in the vicinity, notifying relevant interested parties and taking any safety and environmental protection measures that are required. Decisions made about intervention to remove the danger posed by a container adrift, including searching, marking, recovery and destruction, would be agreed, where possible, with the ship owner.
I am satisfied with the existing legislative arrangements governing the carriage of containers on cargo ships and I do not intend to bring forward a proposal on this issue during the Irish Presidency.
