Vol. 577 No. 4
72 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on the transfer of four ageing US navy ships to Britain from America for scrapping; if these vessels will pass through or close to Irish waters during transfer; and if he has had an involvement in the matter. [26828/03]
I informed the British ambassador at a meeting on 12 November that the Government was opposed to the so-called ghost ships being transported from the US to Britain for dismantling because of risks posed to Ireland's coastline and territorial waters. I previously wrote to the UK and US authorities setting out the Government's concerns on the matter.
The ambassador confirmed that the UK authorities would return the four ageing naval ships to the US. It had been planned to tow a total of 13 such vessels to Britain for dismantling. At the time of the UK's decision, two of the ships had already arrived in Britain and the other two were en route. The ambassador indicated that for safety reasons the vessels would be returned to the US during the summer months. The four vessels are in dock in Britain at this time.
Prior to the vessels leaving the US, the Irish Coast Guard was informed of the US-UK plans for the transportation of the ships. It received detailed information on the status of the vessels, including threats from hazardous materials, the sea worthiness of the ships and the planned route. The coast guard monitored the progress of the tows on a daily basis.
At no stage did the vessels enter Irish waters. The Government ordered that aerial surveillance take place of the vessels during their transit off the south coast, and a tug boat company was placed on stand by in the event of any incidents.
I intend to avail of the opportunity of Ireland's Presidency of the EU to consider what additional measures might be taken to prevent European waters being used as a highway for vessels which pose serious threats to member state coastlines and communities and have asked the EU Transport Commissioner, Loyola de Palacio, to review what options are available to the Community at this time to prevent a reoccurrence of this type of activity. Ireland is continuing to monitor the situation regarding the disposal of the old ships in question to ensure that there is no attempt to re-activate the transportation arrangements at a future date.
