MERCHANT SHIPPING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19792, 12 November 1927, Page 14

MERCHANT SHIPPING.

MOTOR-SHIP'S ADVANCE.

OWNERS' DIVERGENT VIEWS.

RIVAL IN NEW STEAM TURBINE.

BV ARCHIBALD HTTBD. It is Dot surprising that the motor-ship should be seriously challenging the steamship on the great trade routes in view of tho testimony to the efficiency and economy of the former, which leading shipowners, speaking from experience, continue to give. Recently Sir Frederick Lewis, chairman of about 20 companies, in referring to tbti five motor-vessels built for tho New York-Far Eastern trade, remarked that "tbsy were in every way justilymg the policy we adopted of replacing the steamers which had previously been employed m that trade."

Viscount Inchcape is also fully satisfied with the performances of the ships with internal combustion engines owned by the companies over which he presides. Ho has declared that the Austurias has served her owners and the public precisely according to plan; . . . the Alcantara is giving complete satisfaction, and the Aorangi has caused her owners not a day's anxiety, running at 18 knots or more economically, and with unfailing regularity. "it cannot be denied," added Lord Inchcape, "that propulsion by internal .combustion engines of high-powered passenger Imers ot large tonnage has passed the probationary stage, and it is abundantly apparent that the motor-ship is steadily gaining m favour." It is indeed admitted on ail hands that on some trade routes a motor-ship can earn profits when a steamer incurs only losses, and, consequently, more and more vessels with the new type of engines are being ordered in both British and Continental yards.

Lord Incncape's Cautious Policy. Un the other hand, Lord inchcape is not prepared to send to the shipbreaker's yard any of the comparatively modern steamships of his Jines. In his opinion, it only pays to replace worn-out steamers with motor-ships, lie has no faith in the policy of discarding efficient steamships in favour of motor-ships, with a consequent heavy loss of capital. It is, on the other hand, becoming more and more the practice of other experienced owners to adopt the course which Lord lnchcape condemns. The Associated Lines of Furness, Withy and Co., the East Asiatic Co., the Horn Line, the Bank Line, the Johnson Line and many other concerns have sold steamers still in their prime, good, modern, efficient tonnage, and built or purchased motor-ships to operate in the trades of the steam-driven vessels which they have displaced. Lord Inch capes arguments are not, indeed, being generally accepted either in the British Isles or abroad. As the Motor Ship has recently pointed out: "It is no comfort for a shipowner to know that his steamers arc relatively new and quite efficient as steamers go, if he finds that, upon the routes on which his vessels trade, new motor-ships owned by his competi tors can operate so economically as to render hi? craft unprofitable." In such circumstances the less pro gressive British steamship owners cannot continue for an indefinite time to run their vessels unprofitably against the competition of profitable foreign-built motor-ships. They will also be forced to act as others are doing, paying heavily for the delay. Lord Jnchcape's declaration that "the continued emplovment of steam-driven vessels cannot be considered as prejudicial to the relative efficiency of British shipping" is undoubtedly out of harmony with the practice which many owners of the highest standing, among them Lord Kvlsant," are adopting.

German Enterprise. ■piere are cases, however, in which the opinions of the veteran chairman of the P. and. 0. are unquestionably sound. Many steamers are still able to work at a profit, usually on routes on which motor-ships are not being operated. , There is no doubt that the motor-ship is making rapid progress; more motor tonnage than steam tonnage is being built _ to-day in the shipyards of the world. That is a significant fact. The Germans arc showing great enterprise in this respect. The Hamburg-Amerika Line already has 14 motor-ships under construction, and has recently ordered four more. These are each" of about 4000 tons gross, or 6000 tons deadweight, and are for the West Indian service. They will all be 374 ft. in length, with a beam of 53.4 ft. and a depth of 33.3 ft. They are being built for a speed of 13£ knots.. The motor tonnage on order for the HamburgAmerika Line now totals about 130,000 tons gross and when the new building programme is complete it will have a larger tonnage of motor ships than anv other cargo ship owners in the world. Other German companies are following this lead.

Shipowner's Problems. The number of motor-ships building in British yards would, undoubtedly, be larger if the cost of construction were not so high The capital outlav frightens many shipowners. It is contended that too many types of internal engines for marine purposes are now being made and costs are thus maintained at a high level. Anything in the nature of standardisation, with resultant economies, after the fashion of some American motor-car makers, is rendered impossible. On the Continent of Europe the tendency is toward the production of a few highly efficient types which have proved successful on service. In Denmark and Sweden the construction of the Burmeister and Wain engine is largely concentrated on the trunk-piston type with a cylinder bore and piston stroke of 550 m.m. and 1000 m.m. respectively. About 40 such engines are being built at Copenhagen and at Gotanerken. In their British engine shops. Kincaids are building about 14 engines stand ardised at 630 m m. bore and 1300 m.m stroke, while Harland and Wolf! have nearly 20 motors on order with a cylinder diameter of 740 m.m.

Some headway is being made in this direction of standardisation by British firms, but it is admitted that there are still far too many engines on the market. The solution of the problem will be the old and familiar one—the survival of the fittest—and in time the cost of construction will come down. Another reason why some British shipowners are hesitating to order motor-ships is that they are nervous as to the future price of Diesel oil fuel. It tends to fall, but there is no assurance that when the demand approximates to the supply—and that may be sooner than some people imagine—the charges will not be raised, handicapping motor-ship owners in competing with rivals possessing steamers using compara tively cheap coal, for bunker prices have gone down and may possibly go lower.

Rapid Progress in Motor Power. But in spits of this uncertainty as to the cost of fuel, and in spite of the original heavy capital outlay the motor-ship is winning more and more favour. It has made remarkable progress since Diesel disappeared from the cross-channel boat on which he was travelling. At that time engineers regarded with wonder a Diesel engine of 1000 b.h.p.; to-day engines of this type are being made of 15,000 b.h.p.: and progress continues. Improvements in design and construction aro still being made.

But the competition between the steamer and the motor-ship is now entering upon a new stage owing to improvements in the high-pressure turbine. Some experts be lievo that the contest for supremacy will go on for many years and that victorv may eventually lie with the steam turbine and not with the motor-ship. As to thait, no one can prophesy with assurance. All that can be said is that some of the best brains in the engineering profession are being devoted to further research and experiment and that whatever the issue, those who use ships, passengers as well as shippers of goods, will profit.