WORLD SHIPBUILDING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22318, 16 January 1936, Page 10

WORLD SHIPBUILDING

DECEMBER QUARTER HIGHEST SINCE JUNE 1931 LONDON, Jan. 14 An improvement in shipbuilding is shown in Lloyd's returns for the quarter ended December 31. The total —• 1,543,153 tons, excluding Russia, for which no figures are available —is the highest for any quarter since June, 1931. Of this total 48.2 per cent is being built in Britain and Ireland. The British total, 743,086 tons, shows an increase of 212,532 tons, compared with the quarter ended September 30, and is the highest for five years. It exceeds the aggregate under construction in seven leading countries abroad, of which Germany heads the list with 254,121 tons, followed by Japan with 118,610 tons. Steam and motor tankers under construction total 438,560 tons, Britain again heading the list in number and tonnage. Half the tonnage under construction in Britain on December 31 comprised motor ships. Lloyd's Register's shipbuilding returns issued on January 15, 1935, showed that in the December quarter of 1934, there were under construction in Great Britain and Ireland 122 merchant vessels of 596.831 tons. The total shipping Ijeing built was less by 7462 tons than that in hand at the end of September, but it exceeded by 265,293 tons, or 80 per cent, the tonnage which was being built at the end of December, 1933, and it was larger than the total amount under construction in the seven leading countries abroad. The figures for the four quarterly dates of 1934. were as follows: — Quarterly date No. Tonnage March 31 .. .. 107 481,410 June 30 131 587,142 Sept. 30 . . . . 129 604,296 Dec. 31 122 596,834 There were under construction abroad at the end of the year 654,888 tons. This was 52,000 tons less than at the end of September, but was 229,000 tons greater than the figure for December, 1933. The figures for the leading countries abroad were:— Tons Tons Germany 1.39,611 Denmark 78,6-30 France . . 120,952 Sweden . . 60,140 Japan . . 104,610 Holland 48,333

Of the 1,251,722 tons under construction in the world, 47.7 per cent was built in Great Britain and Ireland, and 52.per cent abroad. In Great Britain and Ireland 93,428 tons were commenced during the last three months of 1934, showing an increase of 16,517 tons, compared with the corresponding total for the September quarter. Vessels of an aggregate tonnage of 206,527 tons were launched. During the last quarter work was begun abroad on 109,469 tons, a decrease of 71,708 tons. The figures for the four quarters of 1934 showed that there were launched in Great Britain and Ireland 17/? vessels. of 460,742 tons yross, representing an increase of 07 vessels and of 339 413 tons on the production for 1933.