FEWER VESSELS SURVEYED LAST YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1934, Page 27

FEWER VESSELS SURVEYED LAST YEAR

(By '' Martingale.'')

A considerable drop in the number of ships which received survey certificates in New Zealand during tho 1933-34 year of the Marine Department draws attention to the effect of tonnage laid up in Dominion waters. In 1929-30 over 710 vessels received certificates, but last year tho total had fallen to 540, the 'decline- representing a steady decrease over the intervening years. The Marine Department's annual report supplies some information of more than passing interest, bringing to light as it usually does news which would otherwise be unrecorded for public consumption. Thirteen vessels were surveyed for the first time during the yoar ending March 3, 1934, of which one was a homo-trade vessel and twelvo wore restricted-limits vessels. The homo-trade ship was the Awarua, a steam-tug built for the Bluff Harbour Board in 1932 to replace the motor-tug Southland. The Awarua arrived in New Zealand in November, 1932, and was first surveyed by the Department in May, 1933. She is a well-equipped modern steam-tug propelled by two sots of triple-expansion engines capable of developing 1200 indicated horse-power.

Tho only sea-going vessel built in New Zealand during tho year was the auxiliary yacht Morewn. She was built of wood at the yard of Mr. O. Wild, Auckland, for a northern owner. The vessel is not subject to survey, but, being over 25 tons gross, the plans were examined and approved by the Marine Department. Her tonnage is 51 tons gross and 5 tons register. Two hundred and ten vessels wore surveyed for efficiency and soaworthiness under section 22(5 of tho Shipping and Seamen Act. There were also 18 tonnage and other surveys, making a total of 228 surveys carried out in addition to tho usual annual survoys, compared with a total number of 190 additional

surveys in the previous year. Three vesscis, the steamers Kurow, Waitoino, and Tofua, were sold to Eastern buyers and were put in a satisfactory condition for voyages to China and Japan, Two vessels, the Welcombe and Dalmore, loaded tho first full cargoes of bulk grain lifted in New Zoaland. The erection of the necessary shifting boards and tho stowage of tho cargoes were examined and passed by tho Department's surveyors before the vessels wore cleared at the loading ports.

A major casualty occurred on May 30, 1933, when the American vessel Golden Harvest grounded on Barrett Reef, Wellington Harbour. The vessel romained fast for twenty-four hours and was refloated with the assistance of tugs and under her own power. The vessel returned to Wellington, where, on discharge of a portion of tho cargo, she was dry-docked on June 8 for examination and repairs. Fairly extensive^ damage was sustained to tho hull plating and the ship's structure in the fore-peak, No. 1 hold, and Nos. 1 and 2 double-bottom tanks. After extended negotiations a contract for reconditioning the hull was let to a Wellington firm of ship repairers. The work was carried out to the satisfaction of the Department's surveyors, and the vossel was refloated after a stay of six weeks in dry dock.

Other seaworthiness surveys of overseas vessels included the Tasmania (leak in No. 1 hold), Parracombe (in collision), Dalcroy (hull damaged through stranding on a reef on a voyage to New Zealand), Kent (defective propeller), Port Fremantle (broken crankshaft), Orari (fire in exhaust pipes), and City,:of Canberra (firo amongst coal). No alteration was made in the loadlino of any of the eight vessels to which international load-lino certificates were issued by the classification societies during tho year, adds the report.

EFFECT' OF LAID-1T TONNAGE