TNAG-2796-FCO40-4036-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-international-organisations-1993 — Page 50

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NOTE FOR FILE

MEETING BETWEEN DOT, FCO AND HKG OFFICIALS: NORTH ATLANTIC ICE PATROL (NAIP) AND THE INTERNATIONAL OIL POLUTION COMPENSATION FUND (IOPC): 21 MAY 1993

Present

DOT

-

Mr Frank Wall

HKG Mr Duncan Drummond

FCO, AMD

-

Ms Deborah Fisher

MI Delek Hall

AKC

020/6

Ms Claire Tuhey

FCO, HKD

Mr Rod Bunten

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

26 MAY 1993

Ms Ros Moore

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

NAIP

The Hong Kong Government representatives raised the issue of Hong Kong receiving a separate invoice for services provided by NAIP. Mr Wall (DOT) said that it would not be possible to obtain a separate bill for Hong Kong for the last period but that the DOT would make enquiries as to the possibility of this in the future. Mr Drummond put forward the suggestion of port dues to recover charges incurred by non-contributing nations (Recent figures from Hong Kong suggested that the present amount HKG was expected to pay was disproportionate to its use of the service). Mr Wall said that this was not a concept which would be likely to appeal to the US and Canadian authorities who see NAIP more as an international service, paid for by governments rather than individual ship owners.

In more general terms, Mr Wall highlighted the overall question mark hanging over the future of NAIP. He said that it was not yet at all clear how the rest of this year would pan out or how NAIP will deal with the problems existing in its present cumbersome system. Mr Wall floated the idea of the IMO being used as a forum for sorting out the problems connected with NAIP but stressed that the issue was unlikely to be raised until the US and Canada themselves expressed doubts about the present arrangements.

IOPC

Mr Drummond and Mr Hall raised Hong Kong's request for observer status in the IOPC. Mr Wall stressed that there is no provision for this in the IOPC. Mr Hall raised the precedent of Hong Kong's position in the London Convention on marine dumping, where Hong Kong was invited to attend as an associate member of IMO. Mr Wall said that the two were not comparable as the IOPC is not IMO sponsored. Mr Bunten pointed out that politically there was no problem with Hong Kong having observer status in the IOPC but that practically it might prove impossible. It was agreed that the Hong Kong delegation at the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (24-28 May) should approach Mr Jacobssen (Director of the IOPC) to talk through the possibility of Hong Kong having observer status in the IOPC.

R S Moore 24 May 1993