Flushing As Wool Port

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31235, 6 December 1966, Page 15

Flushing As Wool Port

(From the London crspdt. of "The Prest") LONDON, Nov. Flushing, the Dutch port on the western Scheldt only 20 miles from the North Sea, is emerging as a major entry port for Australian wool sold to Continental buyers. As a result of strong demand from Dutch, Belgian and French wool-buying firms, increased regular sailings direct to Flushing from the main wool sales ports have been scheduled.

Because unloading charges are cheaper at Flushing, a port developed over the last three years largely to handle wool, it is attracting considerable traffic. Wool importers estimate that of the one million bales of Australian wool to be imported by Common Market countries this season, approximately 30 per cent will be shipped through Flushing. Last season a total of 188,763 bales of wool was unloaded through Flushing, 130,337 bales being from Australia, 36,932 from New Zealand and 21,494 from South America. Recent comments by wool

importers that Flushing, with 26 arrivals of ships from Australia a year, was not getting an adequate service were based on the expectation of further growth. They estimated that between 280,000 to 300,000 bales from Australia might be reached this season, and the yearly quantity from New Zealand would probably increase to 80,000 bales. The port, 50 miles west of Antwerp, is favoured by Continental wool firms as a central port of entry because it has good communications to other countries, by highway, railway, and easily navigable rivers and canals.