RECORD TOW

Hokitika Guardian, 11 September 1930, Page 7

RECORD TOW

DUTCH FIRM’S BIG JOB. WELLINGTON’S DOCK. When the announcement was made on August 16 that a Jubilee Dock had been placed With Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson, Ltd., of Wall-send-on-T.yne, it was stated that the task of towing the huge structure to Wellington would probably be given to the Dutch firm which specialises in long-distance towing work. It is interesting to note that L. Smit and Company, of Rotterdam, who have secured the towage contract, were responsible ifor the great work of towing the Singapore floating dock, also built on the Tyne by Swan, Hunter and Wigham (Richardson, Ltd., to its destination in June-October, 1928. Elaborate plans have to be made, well in advance, for the delivery of such unwieldy structures as floating docks from the builders’ yards to their destination, lhe Wellington dock, which will have a lifting capacity of 17,000 tons, will measure 527 feet in length over the pontoons, arid 584 feet over the platform, and the extreme width of the structure will be 117 feet. It would not be possible therefore, to bring the dock out through the Panama Canal, the locks in which are only 110 feet in width. The Jubilee Dock is to be towed out from the Tyne to Wellington via the Suez Canal, While the “tow’> will be by no means the heaviest that has been undertaken, it will be easily a record from the point of view of length. From the Tyne to Singapore was a tow of about 8500 miles, but the passage of the Jubilee Dock will be something over 12,000 miles. SINGAPORE DOCK. Til© Singapore dock was taken out in two “towp,\” the first consisting of four sections 1 and the second of three sections. The ‘insurance of. the Singapore dock was one of the greatest and most important risks,of its kind ever placed in the London market. The first four sections were valued for insurance at £550,000 and the other three sections at £350,000, giving a total of £900,000. The whole dock is understood to have been insured against all risks at a premium of 6 per cent. Reinsurances against the risk of total loss were placed by original underwriters on the risk at 3,4, and even 5 per cent, Special insurances, will have to be arranged by the builders i'n the case of the Jubilee dock, the . contract price of £196,125, including delivery at : Wellington. The average time taken by ordinary vessels for the transit of .the Suea Canal, which extends for 100 miles, is about 15 home, but the Singapore dock was in the Canal and its region for about four days. Plans were carefully laid so that the interruption to the normal traffic was reduced to the minimum. As. the Wellington dock Avill be towed complete by one set of tugs it Will probably make the journey through the Suez Canal in two or, at the most, three days, In the case of the Singapore dock of 50,000 tone, the length of the first group of sections was 465 feet, the width 172 feet, and the draught only 6 feet to 7 feet. The length of the second group was 390 feet, the width also 172 feet and the draught 7 feet to 8 feet, The total- height of the structure was 75 feet and the effect of high winds had to be taken into careful account by those in charge of the tow, Four tugs towed each group o>f sections of the Singapore dock, and it in. very probable that the same number will be used to tow the Wellington dock out to New Zealand. The average speed of the tow Will bo three to four miles an hour in fair wea* ther. Not unnaturally, surprise is likely to be expressed in various quarters that the contract for the towage of a great British dock should have been secured by a Dutch firm. The fact in, however, well recognised in the British shipping industry and also in the insurance market that the Dutch firm has specialised in long towage of heavy craft and has built exceptionally powerful tugs for the purpose, which are manned by experienced crews, for safe towage* demand the exercise of considerable skill. The question has been raised before whether it would not be worth the while of British firms to build more special craft for long-distanc< heavy tows, but there is the consul eration that probably continuous em plovment could not always be pro vided for such costly Vessels. L. Smi l and Co. are the firm who towed tin 32,009-ton Admiralty dock constructe< at' Wal'send during the war to th Medway. They have also towed ove 50 floating docks, including one o 46,000 ton/s, in one piece, two of 40, 000 tons, and two of 25,000 tons (on of these to Brazil), and the 50,00 f ton Singapore dock. Their .fleet ir eludes such vessels as the Roodzee an Zwartdee, each of 1500 horse-p.owei the Indus, of 1200 horse-power, an the Schelde of 900 horse-power.