am
7716 Last Resource
project will obviously further exploitation of oil, gas and minerals in
deeper waters of the continental shelf.
Since the Royal Navy enjoys a mutual exchange of information
with the US
.
Navy, it has had more than a passing contact with the
Man—in—the—sea Project. For example, U.S.N. divers have used
facilities at the Admiralty Experimental Diving Unit and two Royal
Navy divers were detailed to take part in the Sealab 3 experiment oil
San Clemonte Island, California in 1969. Unfortunately, the scienti—
c and technical ‘spin—o
’
to British industry from such research is
threatened by difculties in deciding what information can be
made available without inviting security risks and, more important,
the wrath of the US. Navy. Since the Royal Navy has a research
effort less than one tenth that of the Americans, it is naturally
reluctant to risk placing the exchange system with the US. Navy in
jeopardy. However, the British companies engaged in exploitation
of the seas generally lack the funds to compete on anything approach—
ing equal terms with their American counterparts, and they may be
forced to stand by while the US
.
companies take some of the larger
North Sea contracts.
The ocean ]zighways
During the height of the Vietnam war, over 95 per cent of the US.
military materials arrived on ships. This reliance of war machines
and commercial life on the ocean highways has caused much
alarm about the build—up of the Soviet submarine force. Although
the prospects of any interference by a military force with the free—
dom of shipping remains intolerable, as early as 1962 restrictions on
the freedom of the choice of shipping routes were being actively
suggested. The menace at the time was not the Soviet submarine
eet but ships, too many of them. Each year some 7% per cent of the
world’s eet is estimated to be involved in collisions at sea. The
majority of these occur in crowded waters such as the narrow Dover
Strait through which some 3oo,ooo ships pass every year. In fact
some waters had become so congested that restriction of different
streams of shipping traic to separate lanes seemed to be the only
sensible solution. Most large tankers, which may take as much as
five miles to stop, have already agreed to separate lanes with a
suitable safety zone between, and restriction of most classes of
vessel is likely as waters become congested or large ships become
common.
7716 Last Resource
project will obviously further exploitation of oil, gas and minerals in
deeper waters of the continental shelf.
Since the Royal Navy enjoys a mutual exchange of information
with the US
.
Navy, it has had more than a passing contact with the
Man—in—the—sea Project. For example, U.S.N. divers have used
facilities at the Admiralty Experimental Diving Unit and two Royal
Navy divers were detailed to take part in the Sealab 3 experiment oil
San Clemonte Island, California in 1969. Unfortunately, the scienti—
c and technical ‘spin—o
’
to British industry from such research is
threatened by difculties in deciding what information can be
made available without inviting security risks and, more important,
the wrath of the US. Navy. Since the Royal Navy has a research
effort less than one tenth that of the Americans, it is naturally
reluctant to risk placing the exchange system with the US. Navy in
jeopardy. However, the British companies engaged in exploitation
of the seas generally lack the funds to compete on anything approach—
ing equal terms with their American counterparts, and they may be
forced to stand by while the US
.
companies take some of the larger
North Sea contracts.
The ocean ]zighways
During the height of the Vietnam war, over 95 per cent of the US.
military materials arrived on ships. This reliance of war machines
and commercial life on the ocean highways has caused much
alarm about the build—up of the Soviet submarine force. Although
the prospects of any interference by a military force with the free—
dom of shipping remains intolerable, as early as 1962 restrictions on
the freedom of the choice of shipping routes were being actively
suggested. The menace at the time was not the Soviet submarine
eet but ships, too many of them. Each year some 7% per cent of the
world’s eet is estimated to be involved in collisions at sea. The
majority of these occur in crowded waters such as the narrow Dover
Strait through which some 3oo,ooo ships pass every year. In fact
some waters had become so congested that restriction of different
streams of shipping traic to separate lanes seemed to be the only
sensible solution. Most large tankers, which may take as much as
five miles to stop, have already agreed to separate lanes with a
suitable safety zone between, and restriction of most classes of
vessel is likely as waters become congested or large ships become
common.