CONFIDENTIAL Reference
122.
Mr Clewley
WORLD WIDE SHIPPING AND MR PAO
I gave you this morning a copy of Mr Pao's reply 3 to the Director of Marine's letter of 5 May; this came
As across from Mr William Lee yesterday afternoon.
I.
I told you, I showed Mr Fao's reply to Mr Royle last night saying that it seemed to me after a quick look at the reply that there was possibly some misunder- standing. There was more than one categorical statement in the Director of Marine's letter to the e.fect that there would be no difficulties in connection with the manning of the ships by other than British officers if Mr Pao were to register more of his fleet in Hong Kong. Mr Royle then asked me to discuss the point with Mr Lee at some convenient time at dinner last night. He also said that Mr Pao would be seeing Mr Kitson next week and thought it would be useful if I could brief Mr Kitson. I did have a few words with Mr Lee last night on this particular point. The precise question at issue is what would happen when a ship registered in Hong Kong carrying non-British officers exempted from the provisions of the Hong Kong law by the Director of Marine put in at a Commonwealth port within a country where the merchant shipping law was also based on the UK Acts? Would there be any complications?
You undertook to try to obtain a quick answer to this question from the DTI over the telephone.
2.
En
E O Laird
18 June 1971
CONFIDENTIAL
DD 737719 557664 500M 2/71 GM 3643/2
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