CONFIDENTIAL
As further Merchant Shipping Acts are introduced or amendments
made in the UK such acts or amendments will be reenacted in
similar terms in Hong Kong if it is intended that they should
have application there.
5. At the same time the Hong Kong Government proposes that
the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, which was last revised in
1950, should be repealed and replaced. It is proposed that
the various provisions relating to port matters, manning and
international shipping should be dealt with separately and be
reenacted in 3 distinct parts. The intention is to
consolidate all merchant shipping laws in operation in the
Colony in one cohesive body, including both the UK Acts and
the Hong Kong Ordinance. Consolidation of these laws is a
large undertaking which, according to the Hong Kong Government,
may take between 3 to 5 years to complete.
RECOMMENDATION
6. This is a complex matter and it is clear that no long
term solution can be arrived at quickly. I recommend that
when Mr. Royle sees Mr Pao again at the end of this week he
should press him to follow the helpful suggestions made by
the Director of Marine in his letter of 5 May. There can be
no doubt that the Hong Kong Government in general and the
Director of Marine in particular are very ready to meet Mr
Pao's requirements in any way they can. I also recommend
that we should pursue the legal and other implications of the
introduction of a nationality requirement in connection with
the manning of ships registered in Hong Kong differing from
that applied to UK registered ships, whatever policy may emerge
5.
CONFIDENTIAL
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