BRITISH SHIP BUILDING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 213, 8 September 1945, Page 5

BRITISH SHIP BUILDING

GREAT ACTIVITY 288 VESSELS BEING BUILT BIG EFFORT TO RECAPTURE TRADE OF THE WORLD Recd. 8 p.m. London, Sept. 4 No fewer than 288 new commercial vessels are at present being built, or are on order, in British yards for lamous lines, including the Canadian Pacific, the New Zealand, tiie Federal the Orient and Pacific Steam and Navigation Lines. These companies have ordered at least one each, and, in many cases, several new liners of 10,000 tons and over says the Daily Mail. Every shipyard in Britain and Northern Ireland to-day is working on a programme which will keep the indust’y fully occupied for at least live years. The prospective orders are likely to bring work for a further five years. New orders, not only British, are pouring in daily. There is no hope of fulfilling many of them for years. The British shipbuilding industry is getting off to a flying start, because, during the war it was necessary to reserve almost every skilled shipwright for building war vessels, and they now are all available for’ the turnover to peace production. Of the 188 vessels ordered, 210 are for British shipping firms end eight for ioreign accounts. The remainder are for the Ministry of War Transport. Tho ships range from 30,000-t.on trarsAtlantic liners, for the Cunard White Star Company, to new cross Channel steamers for the Southern Railway, from whalers and whaling factoryships to freighters for thp China coastal trade, for both of which there is a large demand.

The Ellerman Group has 38 hew ships building, or on order, in nine different yards. The P. and O. have several new, fast passenger cargo liners. Furness Withy are to have what is practically a'new fleet for fast, service between the Pacific coast and Britain. The Royal Mail and Elder Dempster are awaiting new ships of 10,000 tons arid over. The Daily Mail adds that the demands for hew, larger and faster oiltankers appears to be insatiable. France, Belgium, Holland and Norway are all clamouring for Britishbuilt ships, partly because, with Ihe exception of Sweden, almost every European shipbuilding yard was destroyed during the war, and it will take years lo bring them back 1o their former nroductive capacity. The Admiralty strictly rations orders for foreign ships from Britain. A small proportion are permitted under license, because their sales can, in future, he one of our biggest exports. Nevertheless, the utmost priority at nresent is being given to the construction of British ships, with which British companies can nuickly regain their old nrc-omincnce in carrying the world’s Trade.

There are no so-called jet-propelled il.ios being built in British yards; nor is there any likelihood of that. Almost al] the new construction is on proven pre-war lines. The only notable increase in speed is in the*case of some diesel electric tankers.