PRESS NOTICE
OFTIGE
AND INDUSTRY
September 13, 1973.
EMBARCO HOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST OR USE ON CLUB TAPES EDFORE 1745 HRS PST TIHIRSDA SEPTEMBER 13, 1973.
AS
UK TRAM TO VISIT HONG KONG TO STUDY ARRANGEMENTS
FOR A PROPOSED SEPARATO REGISTER OF SHIPPING
Mr Michael Haseltins, Minister for Aerospace and Shipping, winounced today that a team drawn from the Marine Division of the Department of Trade and Industry is shortly to go to Rong 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
16
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 tonnago in Hong Kong. The UK Government is sympathetic to this ain provided there are effective safeguards which would ensure that, while corte in conditions attaching to the Hong Kong register would vary from those in the UK, the resulting standards of safety and manning would be cquivalent, In so far as the new register would result in ships of Hong Kong omora registered er dus to be registered under other flags becoming registered in Ung Houg where high standards will be maintained, this would make a contribution to bigher shinning safewy standards generally,
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