BIG PETROL CARGO

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 99, 21 January 1932, Page 10

BIG PETROL CARGO

New Motor Tanker ARRIVAL IN PORT New Zealand Venture An event of considerable interest in the oil and motor-spirit trade of the Dominion was the arrival at Wellington yesterday of the big motor-tanker Bisca, from California, via Australia, with the first large bulk cargo of motor spirit for the first “all New Zealand company to enter the business. The tanker brought one million gallons of motor spirit which is being distributed in equal quantities between the company’s newly- constructed oil-tank installations at Wellington and Auckland.

The new company is known as Buckleton Bros., Ltd., a preponderance of the shares in which is held by Messrs. R. G. and J. G. Buckleton, sons of Sir Henry Buckleton, general manager of the Bank of New Zealand. This company is concerned purely with the ibulk storage installations at Wellington and Auckland, the distributors being the British Imperial Oil Company, Ltd. Arrangements have been made for marketing the motor spirit throughout the Dominion, in which the Wellington and Canterbury Automobile Associations will participate. The bulk storage tank installations of Buckleton Brothers, Ltd., at Wellington and Auckland have been planned on the most up-to-date lines and include all the features designed for the rapid and economical handling of motor-spirit. Special mention must be made for the fact that the materials used are British throughout and have been fabricated wholly by New Zealand labour, which has also been employed throughout In the erection of the plants. The Wellington installation is situated close to the main Eastbourne road and immediately north of Point Howard. The main storagq tank, which has a capacity of over 500,000 gallons, was constructed by W. Cable and Co., Ltd., from stock British steel plates. There is 54 tons of steel in the structure, which is novel in being all welded, not a rivet or a bolt being used In its construction. The tank installation is connected to the tanker wharf at Point Howard by a 6-inch pipe-line, which is just under one mile in length. The pipeline, which is all welded throughout its length, was made and installed by Hume Steel, Ltd. The tank motor delivery wagon was built locally by Murray and Forbes, and the general layout of the tank installation was carried out by Buckleton Brothers’ own staff, under the superintendence of Mr. A. MeDiarmid, chief engineer. The motor tanker Bisca, which arrived yesterday afternoon from Botany Bay, is a comparatively new ship, built on the Tyne in 1930. She is a ship of 6089 tons gross register. The Bisca berthed at Port Howard shortly before 3 p.m., among the interested visitors for the occasion being Sir Henry and Lady Buckleton. In a very short time the tanker’s delivery pipes were connected by a large 8-inch steel and rubber flex to the short pipe line. The ship’s pumps were then started, and the delivery of the liquid cargo to the tank nearly a mile away began. The Bisca is pumping 500,000 gallons of motor spirit ashore at Point Howard, and will sail this morning for Auckland to complete discharging.