TRANSPORT Secretary Alistair Darling was in Dover today to launch the latest in ship safety and surveillance system at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency headquarters at Langdon Cliffs.

The equipment, costing more than £1 million, was installed as part of a £4.25 million refurbishment of the MCA building where staff watch over the busiest shipping lane in the world.

The Channel Navigation Information Service is one of the first of its kind in the world. It enables coastguard officers to track all the ships in the English Channel, monitor their progress and talk to them, helping to reduce the risk of any collisions.

"The MCA has achieved a great deal in the past five years," stressed Mr Darling. "MCA Dover is a tangible example of that success, bringing together the proud traditions of the Coastguard Service and the Ship Survey and Inspection Service under one roof as mutual support for each other."