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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements the Environment Agency has put in place to prevent environmental damage arising from the storage at Hartlepool of ships from the US Naval Reserve. [139208] Mr. Morley :[holding answer 17 November 2003]: On 12 November, the Environment Agency used its emergency powers under section 43(4) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to modify Able UK's existing waste management licence to include conditions which: (a) Impose restrictions so that ships cannot be dismantled, decommissioned, cut or broken at the Able facility. (b) Require the installation of floating booms across the dock entrance and around waste vessels that are berthed in the dock. The booms must be inspected daily, and should oil be identified within the boomed area, it must be removed within two hours. (c) Require that no removal of bilge or ballast water from waste ships shall take place except in accordance with a method statement submitted to and approved in writing by the Agency. (d) While waste ships are in the dock, sampling of the dock water and estuary water upstream and downstream of the dock must take place weekly. Results must be submitted to Agency within four weeks. In the event that any results exceed specified trigger levels, the Agency must be notified within 24 hours. In addition to these conditions imposed on Able UK, the Agency will carry out its own unannounced site inspections--initially at a weekly frequency. The Agency will carry out its own environmental monitoring, as well as auditing the monitoring carried out by Able UK.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

139208; 413 c911-2W;413 c911W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Environment protection Environment Agency Storage Warships USA Hartlepool

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk