XN000022-1986-11-17 — Page 2

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1986

SHIPPING REGISTER WILL BE RESPECTED WORLDWIDE

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GOVERNOR

THE NEW HONG KONG REGISTER OF SHIPPING WILL BE ATTRACTIVE TO REPUTABLE SHIPOWNERS AND RESPECTED WORLDWIDE, AND IT WILL ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER ASPECTS OF HONG KONG'S SHIPPING INDUSTRY, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE 1986 SEATRADE HONG KONG CONFERENCE, SIR EDWARD POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG COULD NOT CONTINUE TO BE A PORT OF BRITISH REGISTRY AND ITS REGISTER COULD NOT FORM PART OF THE REGISTER OF BRITISH SHIPS AFTER 1997.

HE SAID A SEPARATE AND AUTONOMOUS REGISTER HAD TO BE ESTABLISHED SO THAT THERE WOULD BE CONTINUITY DURING THE TRANSITION IN 1997 AND AS LITTLE CHANGE AS POSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHOSE SHIPS WERE REGISTERED IN HONG KONG.

+WITH THE NEW REGISTER THERE WILL BE VERY CLOSE LINKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND ITS SHIPS, DRAWN LARGELY THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF VESSELS FROM HONG KONG.

+THE EMPHASIS WILL BE ON MAINTAINING A HIGH STANDARD OF SAFETY ON THE SHIPS ON THE REGISTER, HE SAID.

TURNING TO THE PORT OF HONG KONG, SIR EDWARD SAID LAST YEAR THERE WERE ALMOST 190 000 VESSEL MOVEMENTS IN AND OUT AND A RECORD 13 000 OCEAN-GOING SHIPS CALLED AT HONG KONG TO LOAD OR DISCHARGE CARGO.

HE ADDED THAT MORE THAN 53 MILLION TONNES OF CARGO, NEARLY HALF OF WHICH WAS CONTAINERISED, WERE HANDLED IN THE PORT LAST YEAR.

+THIS IS A CONSIDERABLE INCREASE ON THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND REFLECTS BOTH THE RESURGENCE OF HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND THE INCREASING USE OF HONG KONG AS A SHIPPING CENTRE BOTH FOR SOUTH CHINA AND THE REGION AS A WHOLE, HE SAID.

SIR EDWARD NOTED THAT THE ABILITY OF HONG KONG TO HANDLE BOTH DOMESTIC AND OTHER CARGO +IS SECOND TO NONE IN ASIA AND POSSIBLY IN THE WORLD+.

TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG'S PORT FACILITIES CONTINUED TO MATCH THE BURDENS PUT UPON THEM, A PORT DEVELOPMENT STUDY WHICH PROJECTED TOTAL TRADE DEMANDS UP TO THE END OF THE CENTURY AND IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL AREAS OF SHORTFALL IN PORT FACILITIES HAD BEEN CONCLUDED RECENTLY.

ATRIS STUDY