Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to verify the claimed registered nationalities of ships sailing in UK territorial waters.

The Government continuously monitors UK waters to ensure the safety of mariners, protect the marine environment and uphold the UK's national security.

Where steps are required to verify the flag status of a vessel, this is done on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with all relevant government departments and agencies.