PRESS NOTICE
EMBARGO: NOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST OR USE ON CLUB TAPES BEFORE 1745 HRS BST THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 1973.
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE
AND INDUSTRY
September 13, 1973.
105/2
UK TEAM TO VISIT HONG KONG TO STUDY ARRANGEMENTS
FOR A PROPOSED SEPARATE REGISTER OF SHIPPING
PA
2.
沤
Mr Michael Heseltine, Minister for Aerospace and Shipping, announced
today that a team drawn from the Marine Division of the Department of Trade
and Industry is shortly to go to Hong Kong. It will study in detail with
the Hong Kong Director of Marine and his staff, the feasibility of setting
up a separate register of shipping there,
The team is expected to complete its study by the end of the year,
and there will be further consultations with both sides of industry. A
decision will be taken in the light of these consultations, the team's
report and the amount of tonnage which Hong Kong shipowners agree to bring
on to a separate register if established.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1.
The Hong Kong Government and shipowners wish to establish a separate register under the Red Ensign with standards equivalent to those attached to the UK register but with greater flexibility in order to reflect the situation in the Crown Colony as regards availability of personnel, materials and safety equipment. This would be expected to result in Hong Kong shipowners. registering a much bigger proportion of their tonnage in Hong Kong. The UK Government is sympathetic to this aim provided there are effective safeguards which would ensure that, while certain conditions attaching to the Hong Kong register would vary from those in the UK, the resulting standards of safety and manning would be equivalent. In so far as the new register would result in ships of Hong Kong owners registered or due to be registered under other flags becoming registered in Hong Kong where high standards will be maintained, this would make a contribution to higher shipping safety standards generally.
Continued
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