Vessel Of Revolutionary Design

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29841, 6 June 1962, Page 10

Vessel Of Revolutionary Design

One of five new cargo liners built for the British India Steam Navigation Company’s service between India, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf and Australia, is due at Lyttelton from Dunedin this week. She is the 6793-ton, 16knot, single-screw motor vessel. Bankura. In common with her sisters. Bamora, Bulimba, Barpeta (seen in above picture) and Bombala, the Bankura is of revolutionary design and represents a complete break with normal British India traditional construction.

The Bankdra will discharge Bombay cargo and load for Singapore, Port Swettenham. Calcutta' and Colombo. She will operate in con j action with the established direct service between New Zealand. Malaya, Ceylon and India, at present maintained by the Union Steam Ship Company’s vessels, Wairata, Wairimu and Waikare. The black-hulled Bankura is notably streamlined, with rakish funnel, white superstructure and all accommodation situated aft. Built in 1959, the Bankura is over 426 feet in length arid has a

beam exceeding 59 feet. She averaged 17% knots on her trials.

Her deadweight cargo capacity is 7274 tons and, in addition to refrigerated cargo space, deep tanks are fitted for the carriage of edible oils or ballast. All holds have fluorescent lighting and she is one of the first British ships to be fitted with A.C. electrical equipment.

Particular attention has been given to cargo handling. Steel weather deck hatches are larger than usual and are opened and closed by pushbutton control. Tween deck hatches are hydraulicallyoperated by remote control from the weather deck. Cargo gear consists of five 3ton Swedish electric cranes with large radius, and also four 10-ton derricks operated by electric winches. Navigational equipment is of the most modern type comprising radar, gyro and allied apparatus. Modem fire dectection equipment is also fitted so that wherever fire might break out aboard, it can be immediately detected. The Bankura and her sisters are the first British

India sbips to have turbocharged <supercharged > engines, not only the main engines but also the four large diesel-driven alternators. Fresh water tanks have been abolished, allowing a vessel such as the Bankura to carry more cargo on a lesser draft than is possible for other vessels of a similar size. The advantage in rivet ports where draft is limited, is considerable. Steam is primarily used to distill salt water. The basic idea behind the British India policy of building this class was that it should consist of a fleet of small ships with a good turn of speed, thus enabling the company to offer shippers a more flexible service than has been available. The Bankura will cal] at Wellington, Napier and Auckland before returning to the East and is due back here in early September.