LOADED SHIPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1937, Page 11

LOADED SHIPS

CARGO & DRAUGHT

WEIGHT AGAINST BULK

Auckland telegrams recently contained information to the effect that, the.Federal Steam Navigation Company's motor-Hirer Essex would-, set a record for • Auckland in mercantile draught, as she was expected to draw 33ft 7in- of water, as- compared with the previous record of the Melbourne Star,-which drew 30ft 7in on'arrival from Liverpool on May 25. Wellington can boast of accommodating at least one ship,of late years with a greater draught than that of _the Essex. "The huge whaling vessel.Kosmris'was berthed.at the Pipitea Wharf drawing 36ft, and other considerable, draughts have been that of the Corinthic, 33ft 6in, Runic;.33ft lin, and Ulysses, 33ft. , H.M.S. Hood drew 33ft, but she does not enter into the question, being -a warship. \ The Blue-.Star Line's motor-ship New Zealand Star is due at •Wellington on August 8 from London with the largest cargo ever .to be landed at this port; she is carrying altogether over 11-000 tons of cargo. It might appear at first glance.that she would come near to the draught of the Essex, but this is not. so, for a variety of reasons. CAREFUL DESIGNING. There are many different types of ships for differing trades and conditions, and the Essex and the New Zealand Star have each been designed with the idea of making her most suitable to her work.. The Essex, and other vessels such as the Durham, Dorset, and Sussex, carry "the majority of their cargoes from the United Kingdom to New' Zealand' from the West • Coast ports of England; and Scotland, ' and this cargo differs very greatly from the type carried by the New Zealand Star, which on the majority of her outward voyages sails from London. . She takes such cargoes as motorcars, and other cased and baled goods, which: may take up a good, deal of space without loading the ship down overmuch. These cargoes demand of a ship a high cubic capacity per ton of lifting, and consequently in the majority, of cases ships which sail from London with full, cargoes are not weighed down to their Plimsoll marks. Fo.r the trade.from the .West Coast ports a "deep" ship with a smaller cubic capacity per ton of deadweight cargo is required, for the cargoes taken from theso-portj are of a compact, heavy nature. Thus it is that the ships which sail from the West Coast are frequently down to their marks before their holds are full, and come out drawing a large amount of water-. The iron ore ships which.are frequently, seen in European . waters are good examples of "deep" ships. Naturally,- the designers of the cargo liners intended for the New Zealand trade- have come to a compromise in design, as -Homeward-cargoes generally are of the type requiring a high cubic capacity in relation to weight. With the exception of a butter cargo, which never forms, the entire loading of a Homeward-bound liner, practically every commodity, exported from this country is of the' type mentioned.. It is the slightly varying conditions tinder which the ships-in question are required to operate that has such a bearing on the amount of water.they draw. In the case of the. New. Zealand Star the designers have, been'able to compensate for the lack; of depth by-in-creased breadth, and other considera-tions-in the design of this fast motorship. , • ~,'■• Some time ago it was pointed out that the Queen Mary could easily be accommodated in Wellington Harbour and lie at the Pipitea Wharf.' At Aotea Quay there is'36ft.of water, and nearly 2000 ft: ot space,- which could .take almost two Queen. Marys.. - Southampton'has only 35ft. of water.

. A comparison between the berthage space at Auckland and at Wellington is interesting. In Wellington the principal and other deep-water berthage amounts to 24,319 ft, of which some 17.000 ft is available for overseas vessels. ' Depth of water at these berths varies from 16ft to as.much as 46ft. Accommodation, at suburban wharves amounts to 18,52 ft, making 'a, total berthage accommodation, at .the Port of Wellington of 26,171 ft.

In Auckland there js 10,977 ft available for.overseas shipping, 10,604 ft for coastal traders, and -1636 ft for harbour ferry services, a total of 23,217 ft. At suburban wharves accommodation amounting to 3400 ft is provided.