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Written question asked by Viscount Waverley (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 15 September 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 29 September 2020. It was answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 September 2020 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

SS Richard Montgomery

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest safety assessment of the wreckage of the SS Richard Montgomery; and what action they are taking to protect the Thames Estuary and Kent Coast from the threat posed by the unexploded ordinances.

Answer

The Government’s view is that the wreck is in a relatively stable condition. It is however considered prudent to take sensible steps to mitigate the risk. As part of our ongoing assessment of the wreck and long-term management of the risk, a decision has been taken to explore the potential to reduce the height of the masts. The Ministry of Defence is managing that project on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have seriously deteriorated over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. These surveys can be found on Gov.uk.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL8171
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Coastal areas Kent Safety Wrecks SS Richard Montgomery Thames estuary
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk