TNAG-0510-FCO40-575-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 88

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regist in Hong Kong, built to be equipped with

Japanese safety equipment. It has been proposed that

provided Japanese equipment is of equivalent standard

provided

"

if

to British should be accepted, if the Japanese are

y've reciprocal treatment to

prepared to accept British equipment of equivalent

standard to their own for inclusion in Japanese built

and registered ships. The second proviso is important

the currently as a matter of principle in view firstly of increasing

sales of British marine equipment for Japanese built

ships and secondly because the DTI have concluded that

the Hong Kong register must not give material advantage

over a UK register.

2.

ве

sharrly for

These proposals - been put to the Governor d his

comment

now cpit his resuORSE. There appear to be no

insuperable difficulties and we may expect that the

Hong Kong Register will be established in the relatively

near future.

Background

3. Hong Kong shipowners own an increasing share of the

world's mercantile fleet. Mr Y K Fab is the foremost

amongst these with a current ownership of some

vessels amounting to about

dead weight tons.

Mr Y K Fab estimates that the tonnage will amount o

by 1977. Up till now Mr Y K Pað has had

very few ships registered either in Hong Kong (which at

the present time is a port of UK registration) or in the

United Kin dom itself. At a meeting with the Frime

June

1972

m Minister GA

toms that

AR Heath Mr Y K Pab told theme

Minister whxt/were the difficulties of manning and safety

equipment overcome he would like to transfer many of his

ships from their current registration (mostly Liberian

/and

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