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qualifications and background of officers now serving with Hong Kong shipowners and a closer knowledge than is now available of the standard of foreign certificates. Similarly, guidance on acceptance of materials and safety equipment will call for close acquaintance with foreign suppliers especially the Japanese shipyards. It will also be necessary to introduce appropriate Hong Kong legislation.
40 It is accordingly proposed that the UK sends a team to Hong Kong in the autumn of 1973 to study in depth, with the Director of Marine and his staff and with shipowners, the problems
involved and to formulate more detailed arrangements for implement- ing the heads of agreement set out in this note. This study would involve interviewing a selection of the officers in ships of Hong Kong owners and visits to Japanese shipyards. Following this study, there would be further consultations early in 1974 between
the two Governments aimed at reaching agreement on detailed arrangements and the timing of their introduction.
5. Secondment of UK surveyors to Hong Kong and the preparation of the necessary Hong Kong ordinance would follow. Continuing work would take place in consultation with shipowners, in
identifying tonnage which would be likely to come on to the Hong Kong register and in enlarging the surveying force required
to deal with it. The new arrangements would be reported to IMCO
and discussed with other Commonwealth Countries, in the light of the present policy of mutual acceptance of certificates within the Commonwealth. Developments regarding nationality requirements in traditional maritime countries would be taken fully into account,
6.
The new arrangements would be subject to review periodically. In particular, the possibility of opening the Hong Kong register to a wider range of shipping companies would be borne in mind but other conditions would also be reviewed including the need to
continue in the longer term the arrangements to set out in paragraph 2(b) for granting Hong Kong certificates other than by examination. In these ways, the two Governments believe that a Hong Kong register commensurate in size with the fleets of
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