TNAG-0420-FCO40-466-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 94

CONFIDENTIAL

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HONG KONG REGISTER OF SHIPPING

1. You may find it useful to have a brief round-up of the present state of play on this issue.

2. When you went on leave DTI were insisting that both both Masters and First Officers should be British. The indications were that there would not be a considerable shift of tonnage to Hong Kong register on these terms.

3. DTI officials submitted to Mr Heseltine recommending that we should stick firm on the nationality of First Officers. The Minister over-ruled this as you will see . from telegram Creda 96. The Minister agreed that First Officers could be treated the same as Second Officers. He suggested talks between DTI and Hong Kong Government officials to sort out the remaining points and also raising the question of the nationality of radio officers. He again raised the question of the total tonnage likely to be shifted and which would be necessary to justify the concessions which would be connected with the establish- ment of the proposed Hong Kong Register.

4.

It has been agreed that the Hong Kong Government's Director of Marine should come to London for talks now scheduled for 29 to 30 August. These will be followed by talks with the Governor when he is in London in the week preceding his return to Hong Kong.

5. No intervention is necessary from the FCO.

17 August 1973

M A Goodfellow

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(17293) 897465 400m 1/73 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp 863

CONFIDENTIAL