WM. W. Y. LEE
G
TELEPHONE
AVENUE 6066
Ec.
HK. Dept.
FIRST FLOOR
3/4 BEVIS MARKS
LONDON, E. C. 3
Anthony Royle, Esq., M.P. Parliamentary Under Secretary of
State,
Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
23rd December, 1970.
Downing Street,
London, S.W.1.
HKK 21/6
20
Dear Anthony,
Many thanks for your letter of the 14th December on the subject of the Hong Kong Merchant Shipping (Aliens Employment) Ordinance.
Certificates of exemption granted by the Governor, as you will appreciate, only provide for temporary relief in cases of emergency.
It is a well known fact that the number of British deck officers and marine engineers has been declining every year and even U.K. shipowners are finding it increasingly more difficult to recruit ship personnel for ocean-going services. I believe I am right in suggesting that one of the prime considerations, when the original legislation was put into force, was to provide employment opportunities for British mariners. If this is true then there is ample justification for a change of legislation to provide for a more flexible manning policy for Hong Kong registration.
Mr. Pao has no doubt told you already that it would give the World Wide Group considerable pride and a great deal of pleasure to be able to transfer our Liberian registered tonnage to Hong Kong registry if a more permanent arrangement can be worked out. With our Group's tonnage expected to reach nine million tons by 1974 the impact on the British flag figures cannot be considered slight.