CONFIDENTIAL
15. Problems would arise with the transfer of existing ships onto the new register, In general it should be possible to allow for a period of grace before ships would have to comply with the safety requirements, and this period would normally rum until the expiry of the safety equipment etc certificates already held. Equipment would have to be brought up to standard where necessary by the end of this period. It was, however, to be expected that most ships whose keel had been laid after the introduction of the SOLAS regulations in 1965 would in any case already comply, although there were a few matters in which the UK requirements were more stringent.
16. Mr Fletcher did not think that these matters posed much of a problem because he expected that most of the ships on the register would in the event be new tonnage.
MARINE DIVISION
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER 1973
14
CONFIDENTIAL
5.