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ISSA and Ship Supply News

Light dues to reduce for UK

S
and Ireland

hipping Minister Stephen
mariners, they are supporting the wider

Hammond has announced a UK economy.
reduction in the rate of light “We have modernised the way our

dues, the contributions paid by the lighthouse authorities work and they have
shipping industry for the upkeep of harnessed new technology, for instance

navigation aids such as lighthouses, converting aids to navigation to use solar

buoys and beacons around the UK and power. The savings that have been made
Irish coastline.
as a result mean that, having frozen light

dues in 2010, we can now actually lower Light dues will reduce by a penny to
them without compromising safety. This 40p per net registered tonne in 2014 to

will reduce the burden on the shipping 2015. This is expected to reduce annual
industry.”
costs for shipping by £2 million.

Following the freeze in light dues since The maritime sector is estimated to be
2010, this represents a 14% real terms worth up to £14 billion a year to the UK

reduction in the level of light dues over economy, providing employment for
the last four years.
around a quarter of a million people, and

it is growing. Last year UK sea ports Mr Hammond said: “95% of UK

handled over 500 million tonnes of freight, imports and exports go by sea, so our
and gross tonnage has more than doubled lighthouse authorities are not just
on the UK shipping register since 1999.
providing an essential service to
I