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international obligations.
However, under the present
system, the Government has to accept responsibility for
enforcing UK maritime law on ships owned by companies which
are effectively outside its jurisdiction; unless these ships
call at UK ports, the Government has no means of exercising
its jurisdiction. Other Commonwealth countries who still
operate under the provisions of the 1894 Act face similar
problems.
8. It is now generally recognised that the provision for
"dominion-wide" registration of ships under the 1894 Act
is an anachronism, that it has led to an anomalous and
unsatisfactory situation, and that it should be replaced by
modern provisions which take account of the new relationship
between independent Commonwealth countries. This is in line
with the recommendations of the Rochdale Committee of Enquiry
into Shipping.
Registration of ships in Dependent Territories
9.
The above comments on enforcement and the exercise of
jurisdiction apply equally to ships owned by companies
incorporated in Dependent Territories, since these territories
have their own laws and do not come directly under UK
jurisdiction.
This implies that eligibility for registration
in the UK or any other British register, in the case of corporate
owners, should be linked to the presence of an established
/...