XN000022-1972-12-15 — Page 3

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Friday, December 15, 1972

The bill also requires these persons to report to the Director

of Marine the discharge or escape of oil from the vessel or land into

Hong Kong waters, failing which will be an offence punishable by a

$4,000 maximum fine.

Another major provision empowers an authorized public officer

to remove from a ship a seaman who has been lawfully discharged from the

ship but refuses to leave it.

A Government spokesman said the provision of such powers has been

proposed in the interest of operational efficiency in the port as there

is a tendency for Hong Kong seamen to attempt to coerce the master of

their ship into accepting demands by striking en masse or by refusing to

leave ship when they have been lawfully discharged.

Stringent Measures

The other amending bill provides for more adequate and stringent

measures to deal with the problem of desertion of Hong Kong registered seamen.

It proposes that the Superintendent of the Seamen's Recruiting

Office may summarily suspend a seaman's registration where he has reasonable

grounds for believing that the seaman has deserted or refused without

cause to join his ship.

Alternatively, the Superintendent may either suspend the seaman's

registration and immediately refer the case to the Seamen's Recruiting

Authority or caution the seaman in writing to be of good behaviour.

The seaman may appeal to a Board of Reference against the grounds

for his suspension or the duration of the suspension, which can be as long

as 24 months.

The Government