THE FROSTY MOLLER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23717, 26 January 1939, Page 12

THE FROSTY MOLLER

ENGINES UNSATISFACTORY LETTER FROM NEW OWNERS (Special to Daily Times) INVERCARGILL, Jan. 25. Confirmation of the opinion that the engines of the motor ship Frosty Moller. formerly the tug Southland, were unsuitable for the yessel, was received by the Bluff Harbour Board to-night from the new purchasers, Mollers, Ltd., of Shanghai. The board bought the tug about 12 years ago, taking delivery in 1927, but after the vessel had been in commission for two or three years on harbour tug duty and on the Stewart Island passenger and cargo service, the board decided that it was unsuitable for the purpose and replaced it with the present tug Awarua. . After having been laid up for a number of years, the Southland was bought by a syndicate through Messrs H. L. Tapley and Co., of Dunedin, and later sold to Shanghai buyers, who renamed it the Frosty Moller. The vessel had an adventurous voyage to Shanghai, but finally arrived safely. the following letter from Mr Eric Moller, managing director of the new owners of the vessel, was received through Mr J. Duncan, manager of Messrs H. L. Tapley and Co., Dunedin:— “ It is very satisfactory to advise you that the Frosty Moller completed her voyage safely to Shanghai, but after an inspection of the motors of this vessel by our expert superintendent engineer, it has been definitely decided that they are of such a nature as cannot be found satisfactory for the safe and comfortable working of the ship, in so much that their weight and the manner in which the cylinders have been bored out are not at all satisfactory. The hull of the vessel is excellent and suitable for our passenger service, but as far as I can judge it will be necessary to get new engines for the vessel, to which we are now giving our attention.”