TNAG-0358-FCO40-394-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 150

ca

NOTE

OF THE MEETING BETWEEN THE FARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE (AEROSPACE) AND MR Y K PAO ON 28TH SEPTEMBER 1972

Following the meeting between the Minister for Industrial Development and Mr Pao, the Hong Kong shipowner, on 25 September 1972, Mr Pao, accompanied by Mr W WY Lee, called to see PUSS (Aerospace) cn 28 September 1972. Mr Standen (MAR 1) and Mrs Wicks (MAR 1A) were also present.

Mr Pao outlined the reasons for putting forward the suggestion which he had made at various times, and in particular during a meeting with the Prime Minister last June, for a Hong Kong Register of Shipping. The previous Governor of the Colony had suggested that Mr Pao should register his zany ships under the British flag, but Mr Pao had had to transfer his ships to flags of convenience because of the acute shortage of certificated engineers who were British subjects, and because of the unsuitability, through drunkenness or laziness for example, of those certificated officers who were available. Mr Pao attributed the Governor's interest to the fact that Hong Kong's potential for growth was restricted by its small geographical area, and that shipping, an international industry, held out great prospects for Hong Kong's future growth and prosperity. Some people also thought that the creation of a separate shipping register would enhance Hong Kong's prestige. Mr Pao said that he himself was quite happy with the present position whereby nearly all his ships were registered under flags of convenience, although registration in Hong Kong would, of course, be much cheaper than registration in, for example, Liberia where there was a large initial registration fee per nett registered ton of shipping, and a significant annual fee in addition.

There was a

Hr Pao explained that he had his own training school in Hong Kong for junior ranks, a few of whom had now become second officers. shortage, however, in senior ranks, even in the UK. The shortage was particularly serious in relation to the very specialised type of ships which Mr Pao's companies owned. The problem wao aggravated by the conditions for naturalisation, which meant that most stateless Chinese seamen, who had left the mainland, were never able to fulfil the residential qualifications to enable them to become British subjects.

Mr Pao appeared to be content at the suggestion that, if a separate Hong Kong register ware established, the Master of a ship registered in Hong Kong should still be required to be British. He said that the majority of Masters of his ships were already British, although some were local Hong Kong residents without British passports. His first officers were mostly Chinese (from Hong Kong or stateless, originally from the mainland). The few Taiwanese and Koreans he employed were seamen. His officers had gained equivalent qualifications to Hong Kong certificates by examination in, for example, Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China, and had subsequently obtained Liberian certificates. Mr Pao felt that a Singapore-type arrangement might be applied in Hong Kong if it had a separate register, whereby certain foreign certificates would be recognised as being equivalent to certain Commonwealth certificates. It was, however, pointed out that Singapore, as a republic, had a different constitutional position from Hong Kong and that Singapore's arrangements therefore did not have such wida implications as might Hong Kong's.

The Minister mentioned that Mr Standen was shortly flying to Hong Kong to look further into the difficulties Mr Pao had mentioned in connection with the manning requirements for Hong Kong registered ships and the

виде

1.

Aho report

immediatly

Standin

གས

H.k. Depl

L

lin retai

نا

!

AR

Page 150Page 151