granted by the country of registry. For example the United Kingdom accepts valid exemptions on clear authority from the following countries of registry - (a) independent Commonwealth countries and (b) dependent territories which have
qualified surveyors and an examination system approved by the DTI (Hong Kong is in fact the only territory in the category at present). But to secure firm and automatic acceptance of Hong Kong exemptions throughout the Commonwealth would, the DTI say, require detailed consultations with the other Marine authorities; and I understand that there would be considerable work involved in administering such a system even if it found favour. The Marine authorities in foreign ports could not of course interfore in such a system.
In
6. Apart from his point about manning and the question of establishing a "Hong Kong flag", Mr Pao in his letter to the Director of 16 June raised only one other consideration. the second paragraph on page 2 of his letter he suggested that the approval of Japanese shipyard construction "should be envisaged without the necessity of a Hong Kong representative specifically being in attendance during the period of construction". He went on to propose that reliance be placed upon the surveillance of classification surveyors coupled with a final survey on delivery. On this, the DTI have commented as follows
7.
"Presumably by "classification surveyors" is meant surveyors of Classification Societies. Provided that those surveyors did in fact ensure that British specifications were met on ships constructed outside British jurisdiction there would seem to be no objection to using them so far as safety is concerned. The UK already use Classification Society surveyors for safety equipment surveys of ships building in Japan, but it should be noted (a) that the surveyors are specially appointed for the purpose as surveyors of ships under Section 724 of the 1894 Act and hence are directly responsible to HMG for their actions in this respect and (b) as far as can be maintained only surveyors of British nationality belonging to Lloyd's Register of Shipping are so appointed."
In connection with Mr Pao's proposal that "the Hong Kong flag be established as an autonomous flag with its own regulations fashioned to meet the peculiar circumstances of Hong Kong and Hong Kong's ship owners", we have been advised that there is no provision of law that obliges Hong Kong to model its merchant shipping ordinances on UK legislation. In so far as Hong Kong has done this it was done as a matter of policy. However, in bringing up the question of a Hong Kong flag, Mr Pao is of course raising wide issues.
First, the question of a separate register of merchant shipping for
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