TNAG-2308-FCO40-3345-Future-of-Hong-Kong-shipping-register-1991 — Page 58

布政司署

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

(29

香港下亞

畢道

INK OUK Ref : CAB B3/19/9/4

EM YOUR REF:

Mr unris bainty

nong kong pepal Linene

1HKCC175/1

RECE"

2.JL:991

Foreign and Commonwealth office

London, SW1A 2AH

UNITED KINGDOM

BY FAX

10 July 1991

Letter out.

hol (copy) ja (opy).

Кок

fr 1917

An 117.

Dear Chus,

Hong Kong Shipping Register: Ensigns

I refer

to

28

your letter

(24)

of 31 May

and

MY

MacIntosh's letter of 28 Júne. We have obtained advice from the Marine Department and our legal advisers and are now in a position to give a response to the points raised therein.

The General Manager of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club enquired the Ministry of

of Defence on whether the warrants conferring the privilege of wearing a defaced

ensign held by some of its members, whose yachts have been transferred to the Hong Kong

Kong Shipping

Shipping Register, remain valid. As far as we know, it is clearly stated in

such warrants that they shall automatically lapse when the yachts concerned cease to be duly registered as a British ship in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Acts 1894 to 1958 and any Acts replacing or amending the said Acts. ships registered in the Hong Kong Shipping Register, though still classified as British ships, are no longer registered as British ships. Therefore the special ensign warrants in question have ceased to have effect in respect of Hong Kong registered ships from 3 December 1990, when the shipping Register was established.

we ΠΟΣΕ

ΙΠ спе General mariager's letter or 12 April that the majority of yachts in the club are not registered but hold a Hong Kong pleasure vessel licence and that the club has accepted that as equivalent to registration as a British ship. A ship which has never been registered either in Hong Kong or in another British port of registry has, in our view, never had a valid warrant and that the Admiralty should not issue/have issued special ensign warrants to these vessels. We suggest that Mr Cloke's attention be drawn to this matter.

RESTRICTED