[BITList] When is a boat not a ship

[Ronald Thomas]

Hugh/
Presumably you are referring to the vessel, with a huge helipad seemingly forr'd of the bridge which is supposed to go to the oilfield in the Gulf of Mexico somewhere and will act as a floating depot/support/research ship of sorts. HMG think that she is a semi static thing and therefore not a ship. To my simple mind she was built in a shipyard,was traditionally launched  has propulsion engines, floats and will power herself to whatever destination her ownners want her to go to. She has a Captain (very young chap) wearing his 4 stripes plus a complement of deck  and engine room officers who are, one assumes, qualified, to the same standards as any other British MN personnel. Cannot see as to how she cannot be anything else but a ship engaged in foreign waters.As to whether she moves about a lot when there is not the question. Do you think they will remove the tax advantages of,say, Weather ships too?
We must be in a more severe financial situation than we think if HMG need to even contemplate taxing these seafares,but then, that is the way of GBrown & co, isn't it.?      Ron T in F

 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: HUGH MCINTYRE 
  To: BITList 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 2:32 PM
  Subject: [BITList] When is a boat not a ship


  I note a discussion on another site about reclassification of a Cornish chain ferry as a ship.  Recently I read, but failed to keep, a newspaper article on what might be the same topic, but with different emphasis.  According to this article, HM govt were keen to look into what is classified as a ship and what is not, in connection with a scheme for getting more tax from those afloat.  Does anyone else recollect this?

  Hugh.


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