TNAG-1514-FCO40-2072-Shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 19

CONFIDENTIAL

establish a national shipping authority (the NSA (UK)), which would

meet the obligation described in paragraph 1(b) of the annex. It

would be set up as part of the Department of Transport. Its role

would not however

solely be to meet the UK'S interests in and

obligations to the NATO pool; there would be UK control of merchant

shipping not only within that NATO framework but outside it:

a. during tension UK powers of requisition would be exercised

and shipping allocated to meet priority national needs and

NATO'S Rapid Reinforcement Plan before the DSA had been

activated by the NATO Council;

b. non-ocean-going vessels and UK-chartered neutral tonnage

would also be controlled by the NSA (UK);

c.

ships covered by paragraph 5b of the annex would remain a

national responsibility.

12 The role of the Government in controlling merchant shipping in

tension and war would therefore include;

a.

b.

c.

requisitioning and chartering ships;

co-operating in the NATO pool fully, and notably by:

i.

advising the DSA of all ships the

UK could contribute to the pool;

ii.

stating national needs for ships

from the pool when UK-controlled

resources were insufficient;

iii. directing UK-controlled ships in

conformity with DSA allocations;

iv. using other NATO-controlled ships

allocated to it by the DSA;

allocating ships under its control to the best overall

national interest;

CONFIDENTIAL