ANOTHER SHIP

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19667, 8 December 1933, Page 7

ANOTHER SHIP

CHILLED BEEF TRADE SHAW, SAVILL ORDER It is announced that the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company has placed an order for another motor freighter for the Australian and New Zealand refrigerated produce trade. This new addition to the company’s fleet, the third for which a contract has been let this year, will be engaged in the chilled beef trade, being specially fitted for this purpose. She will have a tonnage of 13,000, and her service speed will be between 16 and 17 knots, which will make her one of the fastest cargo ships running between ‘Great Britain and the Dominions. Last May the Shaw, Savill Line placed an order for two 12,000-ton refrigerated cargo vessels with Havland and Wolff, at Belfast. The keels of these two ships were laid dowrn in June. The ships will have a service speed of between 14* and 15 knots. The latest vessel will be the fastest, and with the exception of the Akaroa at present on the New Zealand c< ast, the largest unit of the company’s fleet. With the completion of the three ships now on order the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company will have a fleet of 25 steamers and motor-ships.

Other Orders Let. Last September it w r as announced that the Blue Star Line, which has just entered the New Zealand refrigerated trade to Great Britain, w r as intending to build two new ships of 15,000 tons, which were to have a speed of 17 knots. A cable message published last week reported that tenders had been invited by the company for tw’o 12.000-ton freighters with a speed of 16* knots for the New Zealand trade. As to the size and speed of these ships, it is thought that the previous announcement was nearer the mark. The Blue Star Line has a fleet of 30 vessels, and one of these, the Tuscan Star, arrived at Auckland from London last week to load the inaugural shipment of refrigerated produce for the company. The Tuscan Star is to be followed by the Sultan Star, now on her way to the Dominion in ballast, and later by the Avelona Star. All these shins are specially designed and fitted for the carriage of chilled beef. The success which attended the Commonwealth and Dominion Line’s motorship Port Fairy this year in the carriage of chilled beef Homewards has evidently encouraged other companies to build freighters for this purpose. The Port Fairy left Wellington on ! February 6 for London, via Cape Horn ‘ and Dakar, and arrived on March 13 j after a fast passage of 35 days. La- j boratory tests showed that the beef i had arrived in excellent condition. The j C. and D. Line has recently had com- i pleted a motor-ship which has been named the Port Chalmers. The Port : Chalmers has had special provision ! made for the carriage of refrigerated produce, and she w'ill be another of j the freighters which will carry chilled beef.

Fillip to Shipbuilding. In addition to the orders mentioned above w'hich have been let in the past year, the New Zealand Shipping Company is building two motor-cargo liners of about II COO tons gross, each for the Federal Steam Navigation Company. Some confusion has arisen owing to its being thought that the Federal Company and the New Zealand Shipping Company were building two new ships each. This is not so, as the New Zealand Shipping Company, which originally let the order last July, has decided that they shall belong to the Federal fleet. The net result of the decision of various companies engaged in the Australian and New Zealand trade to let orders for so many new ships has given a considerable fillip to the shipbuilding industry in Great Britain. The ir fluence of trade in the Southern Hemisphere on shipbuilding at Home can be better understood when it is realised that, together with the orders previously mentioned, tenders have been called by the Orient Line for a 25.000ton passenger liner, and the Adelaide Steamship Company for a 10.500-ton vessel to be engaged in the Australian inter-State passenger service. It Is also reported that a new passenger ship is to be built shortly for the service between Melbourne and Launceston. The Willi. Wilhelmssen Line, which operates a cargo service between Australia and the Continent, has also been building new freighters, the most recent of which was the motor-ship Tarn. A 900-ton coastal motor-ship was recently completed at Glasgow' for the Canterbury Steam Shipping Company and is now on her w ay out to New Zealand. She is to replace the company’s Breeze, which went ashore in 1931. The Union Company let a contract a month or so ago with Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, for a steamer of about 2000 tons gross. She will arrive in the Dominion about the middle of next year.