Carmichael to lead debate in Parliament on maritime safety
Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, will tomorrow [Wednesday 17th April] lead a debate in Parliament on maritime safety breaches within the United Kingdom’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Mr Carmichael secured the debate to discuss solutions to repeated unsafe actions by non-local fishing vessels in the waters around the Northern Isles.
Videos posted on social media last October showed the French-registered vessel Antonio Maria on collision course with the isles trawler Defiant while both boats were fishing in the waters around Shetland. When Mr Carmichael raised the matter last year in Parliament, Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer MP called it a “deliberate act” of sabotage.
Mr Carmichael previously proposed an amendment to the Fisheries Act 2020 to improve safety at sea after a high-profile incident of a gillnetter, the Pesorsa Dos, appearing to attempt to foul the propellor of a local boat.
Speaking ahead of the debate, Mr Carmichael said:
“When I raised the incident against the Defiant in Parliament last year, the Fisheries Minister agreed that this was a “deliberate act to try and sabotage a UK fishing boat” and undertook to discuss next steps. It remains unclear what steps have been taken since then.
“Any business operating like this on dry land would find themselves at the sharp end of scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive – and rightly so. Beyond the twelve-mile limit, however, what happens is out of sight and out of mind.
“Back in 2020 I put forward an amendment to the Fisheries Act 2020, which would have given stronger enforcement powers against those who put other vessels in danger in our Exclusive Economic Zone. It was rejected by the government.
“At the risk of being pedantic, you might imagine that the word “Exclusive” in “Exclusive Economic Zone” would engage some rights of exclusion. Basic requirements of safe behaviour at sea ought to be expected of those we license to work in our waters – and failing to meet those requirements ought to be grounds for exclusion.
“The Antonio Maria fiasco is just the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent years. If we allow this to continue then it is only a matter of time before a boat goes to the bottom of the sea as a result.”