TANKER THORHILD

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 62, 10 September 1937, Page 11

TANKER THORHILD

CHARTER TO EXPIRE

ONE MORE ROUND TRIP.

The big oil- tanker Thorhild, which arrived at Wellington this morning from Tandjong 'Oeban, is to-make only one more round trip to San Pedro and back before her long charter to the Union Steam Ship Company comes to an end. It is not yet known what vessel will be chartered in her place. The Thorhild, which has been a wellknown ship in New Zealand for the past two years, created considerable interest when she first arrived in Wellington owing to the .iiipv.y modern features, both from the r ..t of view of navigation and accommodation, which were incorporated in her design. Of 10,316 tons gross register, she is a ship of 510 ft Gin overall, 64ft 6in in breadth, and 38ft 6in in depth. She is owned by Th. O. and Olaf Tonnevold, and registered at Grimstad, Norway. Built in 1935, she was delivered to her owners late that year, and her second voyage brought her from San Pedro to Wellington on the' commencement of her charter to the Union Company. With a deadweight carrying capacity of 15,600 tons, her cargo is carried in 19 large tanks, in addition to which there'are other large tanks for the ship's own bunker supplies. The Thorhild often loaded at Tandjong Oeban, and on these occasions sailed from Wellington across the Tasman to Cape Moreton Island, where the Barrier Reef pilot was taken on board. Cape Moreton is sixty miles from Brisbane, and the pilot boat . is permanently stationed there to provide pilots to vessels proceeding to Brisbane. Pilotage is not compulsory through the Barrier Beef, but it is soon seen how necessary it is to have a pilot, as coral reefs and islands are passed within a couple of cables. At Thursday Island the pilot is dropped, but during the run through the Java Sea care is still necessary, as the hundreds of Malayan fishermen anchor their. craft without .lights at night. When a steamer is sighted they hoist a lamp on" the mast, and if they are in the fairway the steamer is required to alter her course.

The run from Thursday Island to Tandjong Oeban usually takes ten days, and before commencing loading operations the water ballast is pumped out, this operation, in the case of the Thorhild, taking about five hours. At Tandjong Oeban the Thorhild is capable of loading 15,000 tons of fuel oil in eight hours. The storage tanks at Tandjong Oeban are filled from Palembang by small tankers of not

more than 3000 tons.

The Thorhild is still one of the most modern tankers afloat. The cabins amidships are tastefully furnished in various colour schemes, and each cabin has air pumped into it, cold in the tropics, and hot in cold weather. Though intended primarily for the carriage of oil cargoes, she has accommodation for six passengers in two singleberth and two double-berth cabins, with private bathrooms. The ship's galley is fitted with a combination oilfired and electric cooking range. There is an ice-making plant and also a refrigerator with large cold-storage rooms for meat and vegetables. A special feature is a machine for drawing all noxious fumes clear of the engineroom.

The Thorhild will leave Wellington Oil Monday for San Pedro to load her final cargo for this port under the present charter.