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UNDERSTOOD, BUT CAN BE FULLY MASTERED AND PROVIDE CHALLENGE
AND JOB SATISFACTION,
ONE OTHER ISSUE IS IMPORTANT WHEN CONSIDERING THE CREATION
IF AN AUTONOMOUS HONG KONG REGISTRY AND THAT IS THE QUESTION
OF QUALIFICATION, WHO SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE SHIPS REGIS-
TERED IN HONG KONG ? SHOULD ACCESS BE FREE TO WHOEVER CAN
MEET THE CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON VESSEL SPECIFICATIONS AND
OFFICER QUALIFICATIONS WITHIN · A MODIFIED FRAMEWORK MENTIONED
EARLIER OR NOT ? CONSIDERING NOT ONLY THE DIFFICULTIES OF AN
ATTEMPT TO ERECT EFFECTIVE LEGAL BARRIERS TO EXCLUDE CERTAIN
CATEGORIES OF OWNERS EAGER TO BRING THEIR VESSELS UNDER A
FUTURE HONG KONG REGISTRY WHICH IS REALISTIC IN DESIGN AND PRAGMATIC IN THE FORMULATION AND APPLICATION OF ITS RULES AND CONDITIONS, BUT KEEPING IN MIND THE OBJECTIVES OF HONG KONG AS A WHOLE, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE BEST COURSE TO FOLLOW IS
THE AVOIDANCE OF RESTRICTIONS (ON THE BASIS OF ORIGIN, AFFILIATION, RESIDENCE OF AN OWNER) GOVERNING THE ACCESSABILITY TO AN
AUTONOMOUS HONG KONG REGISTRY. WHILE THE POINT COULD BE MADE
THAT A MORE FLEXIBLE HONG KONG REGISTRY SHOULD BE RESERVED
TO BONA FIDE HONG KONG OWNERS, AND NOT BE USED BY OTHERS TO ESCAPE MORE STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS AT HOME, I DO BELIEVE THAT ON BALANCE AN "OPEN-DOOR POLICY" IS HEALTHIER AND MORE REALISTIC, ASSUMING, AS I SAID BEFORE, NO OPPORTUNITIES ARE PROVIDED TO GIVE UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS A SHELTER OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE.
AN
OPEN-DOOR POLICY WOULD ALSO BE MORE IN THE TRADITIONS OF HONG
KONG AS A FREE PORT AND AS A NEUTRAL PLACE PROVIDING OPPOR -
TUNITIES FOR CONTACT AND PRODUCTIVE COMPETITION. IF A NEW
SYSTEM CAN BE BUILT THAT IS SOUND AND ATTRACTIVE, THEN THERE
SEEMS TO BE NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD BE PREVENTED FROM SERVING
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