PORT OF GREYMOUTH

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 October 1946, Page 6

PORT OF GREYMOUTH

DRAUGHT OF UNION COMPANY SHIPS REPLY TO MINES MINISTER [SPECIAL TO STAR.] WELLINGTON, October 14.. In a recent broadcast of a speech in Parliament on the estimates for the State mines, the Minister of Mines stated that vessels of the Blackball Coal Company used to work the port of Greymouth on a 14ft (fraught carrying 3,000 tons of coal, while the Union Steam Ship Com.pany was building vessels to carry 3,000 tons on a draught of 17ft 6in. He added that .it appeared from this the Harbour Board had to construct a port to take the ships instead of the company building ships to meet the facilities of the port.

The head office of the Union Company stated to-day that the Minister appeared to have been misinformed. It was not practicable to construct ;» seaworthy vessel of the restricted length necessary to work Greymouth, to carry 3,000 tons of coal on a draught of 14ft. Of the Blackball Coal Company’s three steamers, one was capable of carrying 2,000 tens of coal on 16ft 6in draught, and two 1,200 tons on 15ft draught. Ships Under Construction The vessels -for the Greymouth trade at present under construction for the Union Company will carry 3,000 tons of coal on a draught of 17ft. The vessels have been specially designed to maintain this draught in loaded condition. The figure of 17ft was decided upon after close examination of records of the depth of water and conditions of the bar for a period of recent years. It is therefore incorrect to suggest that the vessels building are not designed to meet the facilities of the port. There are not infrequent occasions when conditions of the bar preclude any vessel from working the port of Greymouth irrespective of draught. Records lor 1945 show that on 100 days of that year the Greymouth bar was unworkable outwards for all vessels. Similarly vessels of 17ft draught could not have sailed from the port in loaded condition on 103 days. Engineers Satisfied It will be apparent from this that a draught of 17ft is not a disability. On the other hand vessels of that type give a good clearance of coal with a minimum of congestion and in general serve Greymouth efficiently. The Union Company is satisfied from long experience that the vessels under construction will transport larger quantities of coal from Greymouth than any other size or design of ship. Incidentally plans of the vessels were submitted to the consulting engineers whom the Government brought out from England to report on the harbours at Westport and Greymouth, and they expressed satisfaction with the design.