Australian Puzzled As to When a Ship is Overloaded

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 49, 13 March 1937, Page 18

Australian Puzzled As to When a Ship is Overloaded

FBEMANTLE. — A case, the flrst of its kind in this state, was dismissed from the police court here recently. A charge was brought against the master, Evan B. Skelley, of the motorship Springbank that he had "allowed his vessel to be so loaded as to subxnerge in salt water when having no list and that the load line on each side of the vessel was below water." The charge was laid under the Merchant Shipping Act, and the nominal prosecution was by the Deputy Director of Navigation and Lighthouses, i'or whom appeared the local representative, Capt. Alexander Moore. The complaint concerned the condition of the vessfel upon her completion of loading and departure for the port of Fremantle from Ocean Island in the Pacifie Ocean on Oct. 29. Various Load Zones. In presenting ; his evidonce, Captain Moore pointed out that he had noticed from a launch shortly after the berthing in the port, that the summer load marks of the Springbank wore not above the level of the water. Detailed explanation that different load lines are maintained ia various zones of the world was given beforo Perth's senior magistrate, Henry U. Moseley, who had been allotted to the Court for .the hearing. He waB assistod by F. Mann, Justice of the Peace. Captain Moore certified that he had stated his case to the chief officer o£ the Springbank, John A. Llewellyn, who contended that • the starboard side measurements after inspection showed a clearance of one inch. When an. inspection was made of the port side, H load mark was believed to be between 2§ inches and 3 inches above water level. Captain Moore who claimed the 3-inch measurement was excessive, allowed the figure, but argued that represented a mean overloading of 1J inches. Testimony for the Defense First Ofiicer Llewelyn, in defense, stated that the ship had cleared from Kobe for Ocean Island and had a' that port loaded S100 -tons of phosphate, so that on leaving on the voyage for Fremantle the vessel had a ileadweight of 9052 tons. With a 26-foot-draught on clearanco from that port, the margin in the tropical zone would.be 2J inches. Explanation of a discrepancy in the calculated weights of approximately 74 tons was claimed by Mr Llewellyn as being accounted for by the absorption of moisture into the cargo on the voyage. He claimed that the diffierence in density of the water in Fremantle Harbour set aside the apparent overload on November IS to the extent that Ihe ►vessel actualiy had a mnr'rhi ■ '

inch. The biggest audience of seafaring men the local court has ever seen in its gallery listened with interest throughout tlie case. Magistrate Mose- [ loy dclivercd his iinding, "t'ase dis-