WORLD'S TANKERS

Evening Star, Issue 25675, 26 December 1945, Page 3

WORLD'S TANKERS

v AMERICAN SHARE At the outbreak of war in Europe, the United States had 430 tankers, totalling 5,105,000 dead weight tons, out of a world total of 1,507 tankers, totalling 16,000,000 tons. At April 1 this year, America had 914 tankers, aggregating 13,200,000 tons, as against a world total of 1,622 tankers, totalling 20,490,000 tons. In other words, during the sis years of war, America has jumped from about one-third of the world’s oil tanker tonnage to almost 65 per cent. The rest of the world had only 7,290,000 tons.

Not only has America’s tanker fleet increased greatly in number; it has increased from an average size of 12,000 tons with an average speed of 10.6 knots, to an average size of 14,500 tons with a speed of 13.5 knots. In 1944, the American tanker fleet alone transported 16,799,000 tons of petrol, fuel oil, etc. The backbone of the U.S.A. tanker fleet is stated to consist of two types of vessels, the T-2 and T-3, which are so large that they are too big for many world ports. The T-2 is 523 ft 6in long, has a capacity of approximately 6,000,000 gallons, and a loaded draught of just on 30ft. Some of the T-3’s are 516 ft long, with a 70ft beam, and when loaded with 6,678.000 gallons of liquid fuel have a draught of almost 31ft. Their dead-weight tonnage is 18.500 tons. The average speed of the T-2 is 15 knots, and of the T-3 16 knots.

Many high executives of the American petroleum industry, while of the opinion that these large tankers were ideal for war, consider them too big for eventual peace-time needs.