DRAFT TELEGRAM FROM MINISTER OF AEROSPACE AND SHIPPING TO GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
HONG KONG REGISTER OF SHIPPING
I share the
I have carefully considered your telegrams of 5 and 12
July. The main difference between us now relates to
the qualifications of Seconds-in-Command.
views of our shipping interests that it is important
that these senior officers should have passed British
examinations mainly for operational reasons but also
as part of a package intended to demonstrate inter-
nationally that there is no question of lowering safety
standards. Shortages of officers are generally less
acute at the level of Master and First Officer.
Moreover,
I understand, via a chance contact between one of my
officials and one of Mr Pao's senior people, that three-
quarters of his present fleet have British Masters and
First Officers: this may well be an important contri-
butory factor to his safety record.
I have moved a long way to meet your views and those of
the Hong Kong shipowners while maintaining proper
safeguards. They should now decide whether they are
prepared to co-operate on the basis of the conditions
set out in my telegram of 21 June. Some of the details
need further discussion, for example, secondments of
our surveyors and access to the Hong Kong register on
which representatives of UK shipowners have expressed
the view that they should be allowed access, though -
I am very doubtful about this.
If the
/broad lines
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