WORLD’S NEW SHIPS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19539, 25 March 1926, Page 8

WORLD’S NEW SHIPS

OUTPUT LAST YEAB. DECLINE IN GREAT BRITAIN While a heavy decrease in the amount of shipping tonnage launched in Great Britain has taken place in 1925 as compared with 1924, the case abroad has been different. The increase there is considerable. Taking the world as a whole, however, the output of new shipping has been checked by the surplus of tonnage now afloat. A large quantity is still laid up for lack of employment. The situation is dealt with in ' Lloyd’s Register Annual Summary of Shipbuilding for 1925. It records that during that year there were launched in the world 855 vessels, of 2,193,404 tons gross. The output in the principal shipbuilding countries was as fol lows: Tons. Great Britain and Ireland 1,084,633 Germany 406,374 Italy 142,046 United States .. .. 128,776 Holland 78,823 France 74,569 Denmark 73,268 Japan 55,784 The British output represents 49.5 per cent, of the total. There is a decrease in the total world output as compared with 1924 of about 54,000 tons. In Great Britain and Ireland there has been a decrease of 355,252 tons in the tonnage launched, while abroad there has been an increase of 300,905 tons. As compared with the record year 1919 —when 7,145,000 tons were launched—the present totals show the enormous decrease of nearly 5,000,000 tons. In Britain 178,464 tons were launched for owners residing abroad, equal to 16.5 per cent, of the total output, while in pre-war times over 22 per cent, of the yearly output was intended for such ownership. Some Large Motor-Ships. The world launches for the year include 108 vessels of over 6000 tons each, of which 23 are over 10,000 tons each’ Fifteen vessels of 15,000 tons and above were launched, ten of which were built in Great Britain and Ireland. The four largest of the latter arc as follows: Conte Biancamano, 22,883 tons, launched at Glasgow; motor-ship Asturias, 22,137 tons, launched at Belfast; Carinthia, 20,277 tons, and Otranto, 20,032 tons, launched at Barrow.. The largest vessel launched abroad is the motor-ship Saturnia, 25,000 tons, launched at Monfalcone. During the year, 29 vessels of about 262.000 tons were launched, which are

to be fitted with steam . turbines—--164,889 tons in Great Britain and Ireland —and the tonnage of new vessels which will be propelled by means of internal combustion engines amounts to about 844,000 tons —267,217 tons in Great Britain and Ireland. The largest motor-ship launched is the Saturnia. At the opening of the year, 2,470,000 tons of shipping were being built throughout the world. During 19-5 there has been a steady increase, and at the end of the year the tonnage

under construction in the world amounted to 2,069,500 tons; the net decrease of 401,000 tons, as compared with 12 months before, comprises the large reduction of 412,000 tons m Great Britain and Ireland, and an increase of 11,000 tons abroad. The gross tonnage of sea-going steel and iron steamers and motor-ships afloat amounted, in June, 1914, to 42,514,000 tons, while at June, 1925, the figures reached 58,785,000 tons —an increase of over 16 million tons. Many Surplus Vessels. A remarkable change, it is pointeu out, has taken place in the total tonnage of some types of vessels included in the above figures. For instance, the j tankers which in 1914 totalled 1,479,000 tons, now amount to 5,384,290 tons; and motor-ships which in 1914 only reached i 234,000 tons now amount to nearly million tons including auxiliaries. A great change has also taken place in the relative use of coal and oil fuel foi boilers. In 1914 the tonnage of the steamers fitted for oil fuel was 1,310,000 tons, while the 1925 figures show no less than 17,804,122 tons. Of course, the amount of shipping ( lai a up has a most important bearing 'on the question of finding profitable ’ employment for the enormous tonnage ' now in existence. The latest figures , which have been published for all couni tries relate to March, 1925, when nearly ’ 5| million tons gross were laid up, oyer three-quarters of this total being United States tonnage. The figures of vessels laid up in Great Britain and Ireland, which were then about 604,060 tons gross, have, however, since been increased to about 919,000 tons gross. Of the merchant vessels launched during 1925, 401 of 1,436, 471 tons were being built under the survey of the society with a view to classification in Lloyd’s Register Book.