Britain To Detain Ships With Y2K Problems

Britain has warned shipowners that vessels calling at British ports could be detained if they have not ironed out millennium bug problems. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said ships’ power, steering or navigational equipment could fail because of the bug, which is expected to cause electronic systems to crash because they cannot process the millennium date change. The agency said its surveyors are already giving guidance on the millennium bug problem to ships they inspect. After Sept. 1, ships that have not identified equipment that could fail or taken remedial action will be recorded in a European database and be targeted for further inspection. After Nov. 1, ships without a millennium contingency plan, including crew members to implement it, will have to demonstrate they can operate safely. All ships inspected before Jan. 1, 2000 that have still not tackled the risk and will be at sea at the turn of the millennium will be detained until they can show they will not be a threat to safety or the environment, the agency said.