NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
UK
Section 735(1) of UK Merchant Shipping Act 1894.
recognition of a Hong Kong Register could be obtained
Under Section 2 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1925, and
11.
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Λ operate under the British flag might oth ke
presith, Other points are raised by Mr Pao at paragraphs
4, 6, 8 and 9.
version of
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12. Although irrelevant, Mr Pao's British maritime
legal history at paragraph 4 is correct but for the fact
that the 1967 Act repeals the provision in the 1919 Act
which exempted ships habitually employed outside the
United Kingdom.
13.
At paragraph 6 Mr Pao claims that "the additional
revenue which Hong Kong could thus secure would not be
inc onsiderable". This is open to some doubt since
preliminary research, subject to confirmation from
Hong Kong, indicates that initial registration costs
slightly less than HK $100 per 500 tons. On the
assumption that registration is a once-and-for-all
payment and that as most WorldWide ships operate away
from Hong Kong, recurrent fees for surveys, transfers
and discharge of mortgage etc would not accrue to
Hong Kong's benefit, the value of Mr Pao's 7,000,000 tons
of shipping (his paragraph 9) would appear to be not
more than HK 81,400,000 (about £98,000).
14. The suggestion at paragraph 8 seems reasonable but
perhaps you could tell us whether a development of this
nature is advisable and precedented.
The
15. As I see it, we are still dealing with two
correlated issues with a view to making it possible for
Mr Pao's fleet to be registered in Hong Kong.
first issue concerns short term action and what
temporary measures can be taken in the near future
whilst the second is in longer term and incorporates
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