TNAG-0419-FCO40-465-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 131

CONFIDENTIAL

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Mr Wilford

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Watson PS Mr Royle/

Sir D Watson

ليليان

23/3

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Mr. Will JM233 4.K Pao.

Mr. Strait (comon)

HONG KONG REGISTER OF SHIPPING

1.

necept

The exclusion

At 15 Makes

Свойст

Engineers?

A.R.

The Director of Marine and Deputy Economic Secretary,

Hong Kong have been in London this week for discussions with

the DTI and with Mr Heseltine. I have attended most of the

meetings.

2.

21

After a rather s tormy start, discussions were narrowed

down to the terms of the attached "Draft Consultative

Document". This was put forward by the DTI as a UK proposal

arising out of the discussions. The Hong Kong team in the

end said they thought that, with one exception, it should be

possible to persuade Mr Y K Pao and other Hong Kong ship

owners to accept the arrangements in the paper as sufficient

to induce them to transfer a reasonable number of their ships

onto a new Hong Kong register. The exception was the refusal

by the UK side to accept foreign certificates for First Mate

and Chief Engineer without re-qualification. The Hong Kong

team said that their existing power of dispensation for such

officers would not be sufficient since, in view of the shortage

of British officers, Mr Pao would want to be sure in advance

that he could employ foreign First Officers on all his ships.

He would also, of course, like a blanket assurance that

foreign Masters would be accepted as well. But the Hong Kong

team believed that he would accept the prospect of LEC

/discussions

CONFIDENTIAL