Chapter 4 - Formations, Vessels, Aircraft and Vehicles of the Armed Forces
                   
Table 4.7 Militarily useful British-registered merchant tankers, specialist and fishing vessels                      by principal categories and sizes at 31 December each year
Militarily useful British-registered merchant vessels are vessels that could be requisitioned in the appropriate circumstances in support of the armed forces. Other types of ship might also be used in certain cases. Foreign-flagged but British-owned ships could also be requisitioned in certain circumstances.
  1997   2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008  
Tankers, Specialist vessels & Fishing vessels 169   207 236 260 298 314 346  
                   United Kingdom 96   91 97 110 104 114 115  
                   Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 44   55 67 74 86 75 80  
                   UK Overseas Territories 29   61 72 76 108 125 151  
                   
Product and chemical tankers (2,000 to 80,000 dead weight tons) 94   163 195 200 275 284 306  
                   United Kingdom 39   56 64 69 82 85 88  
                   Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 32   48 60 61 85 74 80  
                   UK Overseas Territories 23   59 71 70 108 125 138  
                   
Large diving support vessels 13   5 2 2 1 1 1  
                   United Kingdom 7   3 1 1 - - 1  
                   Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 1   - - - 1 1 -  
                   UK Overseas Territories 5   2 1 1 - - -  
                   
Large tugs (over 100t bollard pull) 14   8 8 9 2 2 2  
                   United Kingdom 2   1 1 1 2 2 2  
                   Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 11   7 7 8 - - -  
                   UK Overseas Territories 1   - - - - - -  
                   
Large fishing vessels (over 2,000 horse power) 48   31 31 35 20 27 37  
                   United Kingdom 48   31 31 35 20 27 24  
                   Isle of Man and the Channel Islands -   - - - - - -  
                   UK Overseas Territories -   - - - - - 13 1
Source: Department for Transport
1. Includes vessels registered in the Falkland Islands, which were not included in previous editions of UKDS.
 
The information in this table is for UK Overseas Territories: Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, Belize [British], British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (and Dependencies), Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands. This list of countries differs slightly from the list used by the FCO.