TNAG-0419-FCO40-465-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 59

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NOTE OF A MEETING ON 18 APRIL 1973 WITH THE BRITISH SHIPPING ERATION AND THE CHAMBER OF CHIPPING

PROPOSED HONG KONG REGISTR

PRESENT

Minister for Aerospace and

Shipping

Mr Hubback

www

Dep Sec

Mr Frost - SP

Mr Madigan

MAR

Fir Hanson

MAR

Mr Roberts

MAR

Mr Lane

PS/Minister A & S

Mr A C Stuart - FCO

FD

n

Mr Goodfellow 27.

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Ад

26/4

British Shinning Federation

Mr Bolton President

Mr Rice-Oxley Director

Mr Jenks Deputy Director (Manning)

Chamber of Shipping

Mr Denholm President

Mr Lindsay Alexander

Mr Wood Director

Vice-President

Mr Cotton - Deputy Director

The Minister explained that the Colony was anxious to establish a separate register to enable Hong Kong shipowners to register their ships in the Colony instead of sailing them as at present under flags of convenience. The main obstacle at present was tho requirement that Mastors, Chief Officers and Chief ngineers must have British nationality because this debarred Hong Kong residents of Chinese nationality from serving in those capacities. There was no desire to establish a separate register so that safety standards for Hong Kong ships could be lower than those for UK registered ships. On the con- trary, the result would be for a large tonnage of shipoing under flags of convenience over which the UK Government is unable to exercise con- trol of safety standards to be brought on to the Hong Kong register over which such control would be exercised through the Director of Marine, The Colony's request presented the Government with a substan- tial political problem and to refuse it might seem an unreasonable exploitation of the Colony's status. The seafarers' organisations who had been consulted were strongly opposed to the proposal and the only reason they had advanced which might have sone justification was that it might result in the transfer of ships from the UK register to the Hong Kong register with consequent loss of jobs and job opportunity for British seamen.

2.

Mr Denholm said that the general view in the British shipping industry was that the proposal was bad, and would be bound to lead to a devaluation of the Red Ensign. They believed that if a separate register was set up it would not be found possible in practice to maintain safety and manning standards for Hong Kong ships equivalent to those applied to UK registered ships. This would inevitably result in industrial action being taken by ITWF affiliated organisations against Red Insign ships in general. Such ships had so far been relatively trouble-free because the ITWF respected the level of UK standards and

1.