Draft International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (Legal Capacities) Order 2022

Mike Kane Excerpts

Thursday 6th January 2022 General Committees

[Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Murray; I know that you have a keen interest in this area.

I agree with the Minister’s eloquent explanation of what this piece of delegated legislation is about. However, I think that the civil servants have been having a bit of a joke with his speech, because he said that the UK is a “leading light” in this area. I think they inserted that pun as some sort of score mechanism. Nevertheless, it was a very good explanation by the Minister and I am only gently teasing him.

One of the wonders of the ancient world was the lighthouse at Alexandria, a beacon that was reputed to stand some 120 metres tall and guided boats into the harbour. At night, a fire was burnt at the top, helping ships to enter the port safely, while by day a mirror was used to reflect sunlight. Thankfully, modern marine aids to navigation such as lighthouses and buoys mean that we no longer rely solely on fires atop granite columns, as people did in the times of King Ptolemy of Egypt.

It is very much the concern of us all in this place that our seafarers, of whom we as a nation are rightly proud, are kept safe as they navigate the globe at great personal cost to themselves, particularly over the last couple of years during covid-19. I thank them for their service. The Minister eloquently pointed to the events of 1971, which are one of the reasons we are here today.

This statutory instrument aims to continue the work of IALA, which was established in 1957 and is the leading international association for technical standards in marine aids to navigation, vessel traffic services and e-navigation. The development of common standards and practices across the maritime industry to foster safe, economic and efficient shipping can only be a good thing, both for seafarers and for the environment, which I will come to in just a moment.

IALA’s crucial role is best undertaken in the spirit of global co-operation between Governments, gathering expertise from right across the industry—from manufacturers and consultants, and taking the knowledge and achievements of global scientific and training institutes on board. [Laughter.] I think my parliamentary assistant played the same trick on me there. Such sharing of best practice ensures the safe movement of vessels in a timely and cost-effective way while protecting our environment.

I am mindful of the challenges faced by the maritime industry and would like to mention again the opportunities available to us as a nation to ensure that our seafarers are able to take full advantage of the transition to a greener, cleaner industry. There is a real opportunity for this country to become truly world-leading by funding maritime decarbonisation and training for our seafarers. That could revitalise our steel industry, as well as encouraging a new and diverse workforce into these jobs and ensuring a genuine, just transition for the sector. To quote Virginia Woolf in “To the Lighthouse”, and to continue the Egyptian reference, is

“the lot of the average human being better now than in the time of the Pharaohs”

and King Ptolemy?

I digress. There is a long history of collaboration among nations, and I am happy to support the statutory instrument in order to continue their work to reduce maritime accidents, to protect the environment and, most importantly, to increase safety for our mariners.