Paquebot and the GBLA
Peter Valdner (2018)
There are many kinds of ASFE
- from states and islands to buildings of international organizations.
Among the surprising ones is the open sea, which are international
waters, where PAQUEBOT, introduced by UPU in 1897, can be used.
It
is based on the fact that consignments, prepared on the open sea, can
be sent with stamps of the country, where the ship is registered It is
stipulated by the Universal Postal Convention. A number of the article
is subject to changes, but said:
Article 06-007
Prepayment and
stamping of items posted on board ship
1
Items posted on board ship at the two terminal points of the voyage or at any
intermediate port of call shall be prepaid by means of postage stamps and according
to the rates of the country in whose waters the ship is lying.
2
If the items are posted on board on the high seas, they may be prepaid, in the
absence of special agreement between the designated operators concerned, by means
of the postage stamps and according to the rates of the country to which the ship
appertains or is under contract. Items prepaid in this way must be handed over to
the post office at the port of call as soon as possible after the arrival of
the ship.
3
The stamping of items posted on ships shall be the responsibility of the postal
official or the officer on board charged with the duty, or, failing those, of
the post office at the port of call at which these items are handed over. In
that case,the office shall impress the correspondence with its date-stamp and
add the word “Navire”, “Paquebot” or any other similar note.
Nice examples are tamps of Czechoslovakia, used in Canada and Rarotonga.
Alternatives to the word PAQUEBOT are NAVIRE, MAILED ON HIGH SEA, VAPOR, or naming the UPU article.
Two
questions arose with the consignments from the Great Bitter Lake (GBL),
namely if the GBL is a High Sea and if stamps of the Great Bitter Lake Association can be used. It was dealt in detail by Captain Bryan Hill in his book Postage Stamps of the Great Bitter Lake Association.
For
stamp collectors, real life is more important than theories. And the
life has proven that consignments with GBLA stamps were internationally
delivered.
GBLA member Robert Hornby to prove it sent 120 covers, 90 of which were delivered. Half of them with only GBLA stamps.
It is an astonish 75% in comparison with other consignments, where it is guessed that only about 10% were delivered.
It is an astonish 75% in comparison with other consignments, where it is guessed that only about 10% were delivered.
Many similar pictures will be shown in the GBLA Catalogue, which is being prepared.
Sources:
Internet and archives of the author
Contact to the author: valdpete@yahoo.com
