SHIPYARDS BUSY IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26617, 31 December 1951, Page 4

SHIPYARDS BUSY IN BRITAIN

RECORD VALUE OF CONTRACTS (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, December 28. Britain’s shipbuilding industry has contracts in hand for more than 1000 •hips, totalling more than 6,250,000 tons, and worth a record total of £550,000,000. Mr J. Ramsay Gebbie, president of the Shipbuilding Conference, says in IJoyds annual review: “Current restrictions in supplies of steel and other materials and components taken into account, these orders represent more than four years’ work for the shipyards. But if steel were available in a quantity to match the capacity and manpower of the industry they could be worked off in three years in spite of the additional demands of the rearmament programme. “Undoubtedly this presents a cheerful and encouraging prospect for the industry. Full employment seems assured for a longer period ahead than can normally be foreseen in such an industry as shipbuilding, which is Usually characterised by wide and often violent fluctuations of activity. “The distribution of the 6,250,000 tons gross among the various types of ships is as follows: tankers, 56 per cent.; cargo liners, 23 per cent.; cargo tramps, 12 per cent.; passenger and passenger car gp ; 6 per cent.; other types, 3 per cent. w “Obviously every yard in the country is not in the position of having four years’ work on hand. An analysis of the orders gives striking proof of the continuing tanker building boom and Linker owners are now faced with 1 long extended delivery dates, in some cases as far ahead as 1956. ~‘Reasonably Early Deliveries” •J’pr .other types, yards which tpeciaL*/ in their construction can still offer reasonable early deliveries. It would be unfortunate if the impression prevailed that British shipyards c JE mot fulfil their orders for ships other than tankers in less than three or four years. “Many of the medium and smaller yards are both eager and anxious to oook new orders to take the place of me work currently in hand and nearing completion.” . the 12 months ended last SeptemDer 4,000,000 tons gross of new ships were ordered from British yards worth an estimated £350,000,000. About a was for foreign account. a .recently as 1949 new orders totalled no more than 440,000 tons gross. •

Gebbie says: “No one likes conp°ia. but the reintroduction of some steel rationing is generally to .be inevitable. After con--0 j.bas been given to those indl,rec*ly employed on rearmaiaWorlc» shipyards’ steel supplies not , k e Prejudiced to satisfy •e demands of less essential indusm meet fhe stock-piling plans whether nationalised or