TNAG-0860-FCO40-1070-Legislation-for-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 38

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH

P Waller Esq

Marine Division

Department of Trade

Sunley House

90 High Holborn

LONDON WEZ

Ente

PA

6

Telephone 01- 233 3251

Your reference Se (7

Our reference

Date

MRS 177/3

9 August 1979

Heemsty

RECEIVED INʼREGISTRY NO. 51

10 AUG 1979

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

RECISTRY

n Take:

Mo. verbal

have

Wy

SOLAS 74: EXTENSION TO HONG KONG

1

•

I enclose a copy of the Hong Kong Merchant Shipping (Amendment) (No 2) Ordinance 1979 which is intended to give effect to SOLAS 74 in Hong Kong. The Ordinance contains all

the amendments suggested in FCO telno 299 of 18 May except (ii). I think we can let this go. I should be grateful if you would confirm that you have no grounds for disallowance of this Ordinance.

2.

The enactment of the Ordinance means that we can now go ahead with the extension of SOLAS 74 to Hong Kong. We shall need to draft an amending Order in Council, but as this is not subject to annulment we can do this

after the extension of ratification, provided it is made before the Convention enters into force for Hong Kong.

3. It would be desirable to extend the Convention to Bermuda at the same time as Hong Kong, thus reducing the number of piecemeal extensions by one. But Hong Kong are anxious that the Convention should come into force in Hong Kong at the same time as it comes into force generally, ie 25 May 1980. This means that we would need to ratify by 25 February at the latest. I am not sure how this fits in with Bermuda's legislative timetable. I assume that there is no chance that the Cayman Islands and the British Islands will be ready by that date.

has had

that D.O.T.

conformation

objections Rover

25%.

Ordinance

to the

D Wyatt

Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department

CC: Mr Ling, H¥&GD