owners since under existing UK législation it was impossible to debar shipowners in other countries from transferring their ships to the Hong Kong register. If some means of effective control was to be sought this might need to be related to specific conditions of bene- ficial ownership in the ships to be registered but it might prove difficult to formulate effective safeguards. In any case, UK shipowners certainly hoped that the door to registering their ships in Hong Kong would not be closed.
5. The finister undertook to consider the points put forward by the Chamber and the Federation before a final decision is reached. He invited Mr Denholm to write to him setting out those issues to which they attached major importance and asked that information should be included about the number of UK ships which at present employ Hong Kong Chinese seamen. He emphasised however that the main objective was to enable Hong Kong shipowners to registor their ships in their own country and it was unlikely that he would be prepared, as suggested by Mr Denholm, to facilitate the transfer of UK ships to the Hong Kong register.
Marine Division 25 April 1973
(MC 49/20/019)
сс
3.
PS/Minister A & S PS/PUSS A & S
Mr Hubback - Den Sec Mr Brigstocke SP Mr Frost. - SP 1
Mr Archer - MAR
Mr Manson MAR (SG)
Mr Madigan
MAR 4
Mr Stuart - TCO