THE OIL TANKER "PRESTIGE"

Motion Text

That this House expresses its grave concern at the oil tanker Prestige shedding its load off the coast of north west Spain creating an ecological disaster; notes that the Prestige was a single-hulled tanker due to be outlawed under European law in 2015; recognises that oil spillages such as those in the Shetland Islands in 1993 and in La Coruna in 1992 cause major environmental damage and irreparable damage to wildlife; and calls on the Government to work towards an international agreement to outlaw the use of single-hulled tankers as soon as possible and to reduce the risk of future spillages with stringent safety regulations governing the ships carrying oil combined with a reduction in size of the largest ships in order to improve safety.