PANAMA CANAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25958, 26 September 1945, Page 4

PANAMA CANAL

BRITISH SHIPS DIVERTED SAVING DOLLAR CURRENCY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 25. An order diverting shipping from the Panama canal route has been issued by the British Ministry of War Transport. The Ministry's representative in New Zealand, Sir Alexander Roberts, has received advice that ships returning from New Zealand to Britain must travel via Cape Horn. Instructions with a similar purpose h£ive been issued to the Ministry's Australian representative.

Shipping between New Zealand and Britain travelling through the Panama canal has been paying canal dues in dollar currency at the rate of nearly £300,000 sterling a year. Shipping between Australia and Britain has involved a much greater sum. The payment of the dues has been made in London.

While the Ministry’s order remains in force shipping from New Zealand will therefore revert to the old “ Round the Horn ” route. Homeward-bound oil burners and Diesel vessels from Australia will also travel via Cape Horn, but coal burners from Australia will go via South Africa. Outwardbound oil burners and Diesel vessels travelling to Australia will come through the Suez canal, and coal burners via the Cape. By travelling round Cape Horn vessels will require no more than about two days longer than they would do on the journey via the Panama canal. No serious dislocation of the shipping schedules is, therefore, likely to occur.