TNAG-0959-FCO40-1178-Shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 61

presumably be registered there.

For example a much larger number of

Hong Kong's marine administratic

inspectors and surveyors will be required.

is already stretched because of the amount of work involved in overseeing

the vast numbers of fishing vessels and smaller craft there.

the

No doubt

resources could be obtained but at a cost which would have to be met

by Hong Kong. (It does not necessarily follow of course that all Hong Kong

beneficially-owned vessels would be repatriated but the discrepancy between

the tonnage registered in Hong Kong and that registered under flags of

convenience is such that even the repatriation of modest proportion of

the Hong Kong flag of convenience fleet will present immense difficulties

for the Colony even if staged over say a five year period.)

Desirability

a

5. From a Hong Kong point of view, a separate register involving the

possibility of the employment of any officer

-

suitably certificated

would confer enhanced prestige. Hong Kong's growing importance as a

world shipping centre would be recognised by the creation of its own registe

It would also enable Hong Kong owners to enjoy one of the major advantages of the flag of convenience registration (flexibility of officering)

This advantage without the opprobrium which increasingly attaches to FOC.

would presumably offset the additional costs involved in expanding the

marine administration, building vessels to UK requirements, manning levels

Whether it will be a real advantage in the longer term however is

open to question sincere abolition of the requirement for British officers would remove one of the main planks in the defence of Hong Kong against

the charge, already levelled by the UNCTAD Secretariat, that registration

in Hong Kong amounts to flag of convenience registration (Note 4).

etc.

6. In any case, the creation of a separate Hong Kong register is not in

the UK's interest. So long as there is the unitary British flag it is

not in our interest to allow increasing variation in the ways in which

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