Jersey's desperate attemtps to sell any form of legislation it can offer continue with a plan to set up a register for commercial shipping, according to the BBC.
It's got a new flag to let it do this:
What really amused me about the story though was this:
The Red Ensign conference in May brings together the 13 Crown dependencies and overseas territories that can register vessels under the Red Ensign flag.
Government delegates from the Falkland islands, Bermuda and the British Virgin islands will be in Jersey for the event at the Hotel L'Horizon.
They will be joined by representatives from the UK Department of Transport, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Justice.
Also on the agenda is the risk of piracy on the high seas and the carriage of firearms aboard registered vessels.
Jersey and piracy? Surely, no link? Is there?
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You criticise Jersey for relying on the finance industry and now you are criticising them for developing another revenue stream. They can’t win in your eyes. It would appear that your hatred of Jersey is a lot deeper than you make out. I don’t think anything they do is acceptable in your eyes.
@John Buckles
Oh come on – this is one of the oldest abuses in the book….
You ain’t done the reading, Mr Buckles. Alex Podger – “That nest of Vypers”, published 2007 by the Societe Jersiaise, including a study of the history of Jersey’s privateers (=licensed pirates).
A ship can only be registered under flags-of-convenience by a sovereign state which in turn allows the ship to fly that state’s registered civil ensign.
Is Jersey a sovereign state?
Flags-of-convenience are typically used to reduce operating costs (by providing inadequate working conditions for the crew) and to avoid the regulations of the owner’s country. The “scheme” has been severely criticized by international shipping organizations because if/when the ships engage in crime the owners are difficult to prosecute as they legally anonymous.
Piracy is normally confined to robbery at sea …
Richard, what abuse are you talking about? Many countries, including your beloved Isle of Man, have large shipping registers. They follow all the same safety standards as the UK flag.
The Isle of Man Shipping Register is a part of the British Register and entirely subject to UK law under the 1991 Merchant Shipping Registration Act – which in turn applies safety standards.
This is yet another example of the Isle of Man government having its cake and eating it — or exploiting one UK law while conveniently ignoring others. This Machiavellian government is willing to take any opportunity to misuse its (questionable) status to exploit greed and self-interest.
@Mike Hitch
Abuse of employees
Abuse of tax
Abuse of ownership – anonymity is not useful in shipping
Abuse of insurance markets as a result
And the common good consequently
If there was no abuse there would be no reason to go offshore
@Mike Hitch
“Richard, what abuse are you talking about?
Many countries, including your beloved Isle of Man …”
No matter how much Mr. Murphy “loves” the Isle of Man the PSG will always “love” it more!
Or were you experimenting with irony?
PSG
You make a fundamental error in your comment #6. You confuse “UK” with “British”. Not the same thing at all. The Crown Dependencies and the Crown Colonies are all British – they are not part of the UK. They are all entitled to fly the British flag without being part of the UK.
Its no different to confusing the “UK Government” with “the British Crown”.
I cannot comment regarding the abuse of tax as a humble ship captain it is way above my station. However, it would seem like another tax avoidance or tax planning exercise on behalf of shipowners. I can comment about safety standards as this is my area of expertise and whilst the Flags of Convenience like Liberia and Panama have dubious safety standards and conditions for the employees the Red Ensign Group (of which Jersey would be a part) do not seem to.
I would guess that the tax avoidance helps to keep the price of your Apple products down as they are shipped from China. Also, keeps the price of cruises down too.
To PSG, yes it was my lame attempt at humour; sorry!
@Harry Thank you for introducing the word “confusing”.
The PSG is reliably informed that the adjective “British” is used in relation to Great Britain (GB). In legislation the term “British” is used to refer to the UK as a whole, especially in matters relating to the question of nationality. From a legal point of view it is erroneous to use this adjective when referring to issues relating to both GB and the United Kingdom (UK).
The expression “British Islands” has been defined in the Interpretation Act 1978 as meaning the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The Republic of Ireland is not included in this definition.
The expression “British Isles” is geographical and not political and includes the islands of GB, the whole of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The United Kingdom (UK) is made up of GB and Northern Ireland.
The Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are not part of GB, the UK or the European Union (EU). They are self-governing British Crown dependencies. There is some doubt about the extent of this “self-government” and although the islands have archaic, so-called “parliaments” the degree of real government is open to conjecture.
And as you say the Crown Dependencies are all British and entitled to fly the British flag without being part of the UK.
The word “confusing” could be seen as an understatement and an irony that provides the ideal smoke and mirrors for what are known as “secrecy jurisdictions” or “tax havens.” A convenience that has not escaped the notice of those engaged in the lucrative tax evasion/avoidance industry.
Nice places? Perhaps not.