Scope for increase in the UK
register
36. Mr Parker was confident that the tonnage tax
would continue to increase its impact as companies already in
the tonnage tax regime would add further ships to their fleet.[50]
He also thought that the proportion of the tonnage tax fleet on
the UK register would grow as shipping companies were reassured
about the usability of the British flag:
"A huge change has taken place in the last few
years in parallel with the tonnage tax, which was part of the
Government policy, and I think the fact that we have got 65 per
cent now of the tonnage that is controlled in the UK, two-thirds
effectively, on the British flag is actually a remarkably good
achievement and I think that proportion will grow as people grow
in confidence in the improvements that have been made with the
British flag." [51]
37. The Chamber of Shipping suggested that more
could be done to increase the size of the fleet; it contended
that there was a strong demand from couples to get married on
board ship and that there should be legal recognition for marriages
performed on ships registered in the UK.[52]
Current legislation in England and Wales does not recognise marriages
celebrated on board ship.[53]
P&O has placed their Grand class ships, which were built with
wedding chapels, on the Bermudan rather than the UK register because
marriages on Bermudan registered ships are legally recognised.
The Chamber thought that the ability to offer onboard weddings
would also be of value to operators of shorter-haul ferries and
locally-operating cruise boats. They were, however, unable to
give an estimate of the number of ships which might be attracted
to the UK register as a result of this change and we doubt that
this would attract a significant number. Even though we are not
convinced that legal recognition of marriages celebrated on United
Kingdom ships would have a significant effect on the size of the
register, we support a change in the law. Couples now have
more freedom to marry where they wish. It seems illogical to exclude
ship board weddings from the general relaxation of the law relating
to places of marriage and we recommend that such weddings should
be legally recognised.
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