VIA THE CAPE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1931, Page 6

VIA THE CAPE

OPAWA’S UNUSUAL ROUTE SAVING CANAL DUES. WELLINGTON, Dec 5. For the first time in many years a vess •■! loaded for New Zealand is proceeding from England via the Cape of Good Hope instead of via the Panama Canal. Cabled advice was re.eived yesterday by the ifederal . Company thaf ; the new motor-ship Opawa, which left*-Liverpool last Saturday loaded for Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin-, and ’Timaru is coming out via Dakar and the Care of Good Hope. The Opawa will thus be the 1 irst-motor-ship—if not the first vessel .in the regular run—to make* the passage loaded by this route for more than 10 years. Before the war and the opening of the Panama Canal this was the usual route for vessels 10-.'diug to New Zealand. During the la,st two years several steamers coming to New Zealand in ballast —three row, on their way—-and an odd ves-el not in the regular trade have used this route to avoid paying Panama Canal dm s, but no regular New Z-eland trader ha.s done so until the present trip by the Opawa. * Some months ago "the Opawa made the run from New Zealand to England via Cape Horn and Dakar, being the’first motor-ship to use that route, which is only about 500 miles longer than that via Panama Canal. She was also the ,first motor-ship fi °m New Zealand to use Dakar as a fueling station." Dakar, which is cm the Wes/ Coast of Africa, just below Cape Verde, has for many years been a. coding station, but facilities for bunkering motor vessels have only been completed this year. The reason, for this change of'route is the fall of sterling, which has enormously increased both banketing costs t the Parnmn Canal and the Canal dues, which were already- very heavy. Since the Opawa made the run Home via the Cape Horn route, nil motorships leaving New Zealand for England, with the exception of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s “Rrngi” liners have used this route instead of that via. Panama Canal. Since Enghir.d went off the Gold Standard the Shaw iSavill. Company has also made arrangements to bunker all its coal-'uirnin-T vessels at Port'Royal. Jamaica, instead of at the Panama Canal, on s account of the depreciation in sterling.