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that a ship which has never been registered either in Hong Kong or in another British port of registry has, in their view, never had a valid warrant and that the Admiralty should not have issued special ensign warrants to these vessels.
5.
The
On your second point, I understand that a British merchant ship is allowed to wear the undefaced blue ensign if the person commanding it is an officer on the active or retired lists of the Royal Navy or a Commonwealth Navy. officer must possess a warrant issued by the Secretary of State for Defence. Some shipping companies may, in practice, employ such officers in circumstances where regular merchant navy officers with the appropriate qualifications are not available. The warrant held by these officers has force or effect only on a ship registered as a British ship under the Merchant Shipping Acts. It will therefore not be valid for a ship registered under the 1990 Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance. Consequently, a Hong Kong registered ship with a Royal Naval Reserve Officer in command should not be permitted to fly the blue ensign. Hong Kong Government have however asked if we could obtain confirmation from the Ministry of Defence that the above understanding is correct. I should be grateful for your comments.
6. As I explained in my earlier letter, the main aims of the establishment of a Hong Kong Shipping Register were to ensure continuity over 1997 and avoid the need for large numbers of ships to switch from a register of one sovereignty to that of another; and to make ships registered on the Hong Kong register easily identifiable. In achieving this, it has been inevitable that some traditions, which would have had to change in 1997 with the transfer of sovereignty, have had to be adjusted sooner.
Yours Sincerely
Pamela tragé
PA Major (Ms)
Hong Kong Department
TOMBCV