Ships that now appear on radar screens only as blobs although they are perhaps polluting waters or causing accidents with other craft, could be identifed if a new compulsory automatic system is adopted, British Transport Secretary Brian Mawhinney said in a statement yesterday: a compulsory ship-borne transponder that would automatically give the ship’s name, position and route, could lessen maritime safety and pollution risks, according to a British proposal to the International Maritime Organisation – trials off southern England showed the system could be used succesfully to provide information automatically from ship to shore via VHF radio transmitters and cost under UKP2,000, only a small fraction of the cost of a merchant vessel.
