TNAG-0510-FCO40-575-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 33

Reference...

HKK 21/3.

*

B4

Covering CONFIDENTIAL

HIK 2/3

Mr

Stuart HK/IOD

K 243

HONG KONG SHIPPING REGISTER

1. I think you may be interested in a side-light on the Hong Kong shipping registration issue contained in the Annual Review for 1973 of the Governor of Bermuda (attached). I would draw your attention to the final sentence of paragraph 8 and to paragraph 13. The transfer of a Hong Kong fleet from the Bahamas to Bermuda must have been based on tax advantages since the requirements about crewing are the same in both cases. But the Governor, Sir Edwin Leather, seems unaware of the wide-ranging implications of changing the conditions of registration; they are more than "bureaucratic-imposed frustrations" It must also be clear, I think, that if Hong Kong should obtain the concessions she wants about her own shipping register, not only would this be followed by similar demands from places like Bermuda (and perhaps the Cayman Islands and New Hebrides?) but, in addition, the large Hong Kong fleet so recently transferred from the Bahamas to Bermuda would swiftly be transferred to Hong Kong registration.

2. It may be that Caribbean Department are unaware of the exchanges we have been having with Hong Kong about shipping registration problems and I am therefore copying this minute to Mr Preston.

G Foggon

23 April 1974

c.

Enc

Mr Preston Caribbean Dept. K 363

Gasson

Thanks.

I had spoken to

n.

Preston about

this and about the

situation in Hong Kong.

On the latter

You may not have

seen outal

outal 383

(attached). My own

te

scheme

will probably fail, either because

Covering CONFIDENTIAL

guess

now is that