C
or
6.
(b)
instead of being one port in the British Shipping Register and reporting to the British Registrar, Cardiff, for Hong Kong to establish its own Register which departs (particularly with regard to the nationality of senior officers) from terms governing the British Register by applying Section 2 of the Merchant Shipping (Equivalent Provisions) Act 1925.
It is understood from the Department of Trade and Industry that it would be possible to vary Hong Kong merchant marine law in respect of certificates of competency without the general reciprocal acceptance of 'such certificates in other Commonwealth countries being
lost (eg if a German master's certificate were allowed to count as a British one, reciprocity would not be lost: if the same certificate were exchanged for a British one its origin thereby being lost reciprocity would no longer apply).
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7. In addition to the question posed at paragraph 4 above I should be grateful for your advice as to:-
(a)
what disadvantage, if any, there would be to Hong Kong by adopting
t
suggested solution 5(a) above
(i)
or
(ii)
suggested solution 5(b) above;
(b)
what disadvantage, if any, there would be to the United Kingdom by adopting
(i)
suggested solution 5(a) above
or
(ii)
suggested solution 5(b) above;
and (c)
whether the statement in paragraph 6 above can be confirmed.
28 June 1971
J A Clewley
Hong Kong Department
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