No change to U.K. light dues levels

No change to U.K. light dues levels Britain’s Shipping Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said Monday there will be no increase this year in light dues paid by merchant ships and fishing vessels, and that the tonnage threshold will also remain the same.
   Light dues are a system of user charges levied on all commercial shipping vessels which call at U.K. and Republic of Ireland ports to fund provision and maintenance of navigation aids such as lighthouses, buoys and beacons.
   In 2006, rates were reduced from '0.39 to '0.35 per ton. The tonnage ceiling is 35,000 tons making the maximum annual charge '12,250. In any year, a vessel is not required to pay light dues for more than seven voyages in total.