SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
AUGUST 23RD 732
Colony likely to have own registry
REVED IN
RAGISTRY NO.51
OCT 1973
12x1221)
20m tons of shipping flying the HK flag?
That Hongkong is likely to become an inter national port of registry for shipping is now common knowledge. For reasons of policy at inter government level. talks between the Marine Department. the Secretariat and the British Department of Trade and Industry, (formerly the Board of Trade), have been carried on, if not behind closed doors, certainly not in the open.
The discussions. which have not been contentious, have been taking place since January 1972. when it was accepted that Hongkong's wish to have a shipping registry in its own right was reasonable and logical.
Taking part in the negotiations throughout have been two important bodies, the Hongkong Shipowners' Association and the Hongkong shipping sub committee of the General Chamber of Commerce.
The prospect of 20,000,000 tons D.W. of shipping sailing under the Hongkong flag immediately captured the imagination of the Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, which was naturally gratifying and undoubtedly rather more than a good omen.
1.2.
The RED
ENSIGN
The establishment of a Hongkong registry will be manifested by the sight of the Colony's Aag flying at the stern of probably five per cent of the world's ships. This "showing of the flag" has rather more than aesthetic or nationalistic connotations.
At first sight the signal is that of a country with a mercantile marine fleet, a maritime nation. This can, of course, be a false assumption. Two small States in particular have permitted their flags to become "flags of convenience" and in both cases those countries have won for themselves a banana republic image.
Such an image is not entirely the fault of the country that has allowed its lax maritime legislation to be exploited. In the case of Liberia, for instance, American interests have gained much more monetarily than the Government in Monrovia. The horse had galloped away years before Liberia decided to bolt the stable door.
Panama, a late starter in the "flag of convenience“ racket. shares Liberia's unenviable, and somewhat unjust, reputation.
High standards
to be ensured
to
Those concerned with the Hongkong register have stressed beyond any possibility of doubt. that registration will be
open only shipowners and to ships which conform to standards in no way lower than those demanded by the British Department of Trade and Industry. But there will be some variations and it is these variations which are now the main subjects of discussion.
They mainly concern the nationality requirements of deck and engine room officers. the standard of crew accommodation and safety measures and equipment. Again, there is no argument but special legislation must be enacted in Hongkong and where this legislation prescribes requirements differing from the , United Kingdom Acts, obviously any such variations should be agreed at this stage so as to minimise any likeihood of serious interference in Westminster (Whitehall reported to be "on our side", already).
15
British maritime regulations specify that British registered ships must carry British, or Commonwealth officers. This is a slight over-
▼
simplification but the end result of the negotiations is likely to be that Hongkong registered ships will be required to carry only a captain and ung senior officer who are British- In effect, what this means is that Hongkong citizens will have equal opportunities with British nationals to serve below the rank of Captain in Hongkong registered ships. Apart from the obvious satisfaction that this must give locally. one "spin off entails the establishment of an internationally recognised school of navigation and this is to be organised by the Hongkong Polytechnic.
At the end of the day a young man who gains the requisite qualifying certificate will be eligible to serve in the appropriate rank in any ship in which a Hongkong certificate is recognised and it has already been agreed that the Hongkong certificate will be recognised by the U.K. authorities as if it were a British certificate.
The same status will be accorded to the appropriate radio operators certificate. Thus fine new careers will be opened up to the Colony's youth.
Some daunting
legal problems
Crew accommodation is a matter which concerns the port of registry and is of the utmost importance. Unless the standard of accommodation is up to at least the minimum insisted upon by the British Department of Trade and Industry, no ship will be considered for registration in Hongkong. However, this is most unlikely to cause concern to Hongkong shipowners. because ships built by them in recent years have specifications which are exceptionally high, well above those set by international conventions.
Another basic requirement the Hong Kong registry will impose is that of satisfactory safety standards and life saving equipment. It is generally accepted by maritime nations that British ships maintain an extremely high standard and Hongkong will wish to he associated with the British reputation.
The Hongkong registry will not generate a great deal of revenue although some five per cent of the ships at sea are owned or controlled by Hongkong companies and it can be expected that virtually all will transfer to the Hongkong register. Registration fees and other charges will adequately cover, for instance, the running costs of
a special section of the Marine Department yet to be formed
There is no suggestion that the establishment and maintenance of the registry will not pay its way. But at the same time it is not being regarded as an additional source of net income or the Colony's exchequer.
It follows, therefore, that it will probably cost less to register a ship in Hongkong than in a country where the registrationof ships is a profit making government service.
How long will it be before the first ship lawfully flies the Colony's flag? If there are no hitches or political obstruction, probably before the end of 1975.
Idle but interesting thoughts which will occur to some laymen are: How many non sovereign powers are there that maintam an autonomous shipping register? And what problems might Hongkong's dependency status in international inw lead to - if a Hongkong ship gets into trouble in a non British port, for example?
H. Maclear Bate
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