TNAG-0419-FCO40-465-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 64

CODE 18-77

真

Reference

37

:

Mr. Madigan, MAR

HONG KONG REGISTER:

几

MEETING WITH THE SEAFARERS' ORGANISATIONS

PA

You were present on 16 April when the Minister met representatives of the Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association, the Mercantile Marine Services Association, the Radio and Electronic Officers' Union, the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers and the National Union of Seamen. A full list of those attending is attached.

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2. The object of the meeting was to consult the Unions about the proposal that Hong Kong should have its own Register of Shipping. The Minister explained that the colony had established a large and energetic ship-owning industry, and were it not a colony would naturally have its own Shipping Register.

As it was, most of their tonnage was registered under flags of convenience. The colony had asked to establish its own Register, motivated it seemed by two main reasons. First, there was the owners natural wish to register their fleets in their home port; second, they could not do so under UK regulations because these disqualified Hong Kong residents of Chinese nationality as ships' officers. To refuse this request might seem an unreasonable exploitation of the colony's status. The colony was not asking, and HMG was not contemplating, any relaxation of the UK's standards of safety or of professional competence. There was therefore no substance in allegations that the proposed Register would itself be a flag of convenience: indeed, a large shift of tonnage on to the new Register from existing flags of convenience would mean an improvement in standards, not a reduction. On the other hand, it had to be admitted that the UK stood to gain nothing from what was proposed, and it would undoubtedly be complex and expensive to administer.

3. The Unions all saw strong objections of principle; they were uninterested in the detailed proposals. Most of them put their case reasonably, especially Mr. Slater of the MNAOA, though it was otherwise with Mr. Goff, of the same Union. Their main points were:

(a) They found it difficult to accept that no dilution of

standards was involved. Though this might be HMG's intention, the pressure for relaxations would be great and HMG's actual control limited.

(b) Only if they hoped for such relaxations would the Hong Kong

owners be so eager to establish the Register. Under the Liberian flag they could at present employ whomever they liked. They had often made it clear that they flew this flag because it was cheaper. If they were now becoming disillusioned with Liberian registration, this could only be because of action by the International Federation of Transport Workers, and their present request was essentially for HMG to provide a cloak of respectability under which they could continue their present operations. The Red Ensign would therefore be tainted with the "disgrace" attaching to flags of convenience.

*

/(c)

y

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