WORLD'S SHIPBUILDING

Shannon News, 20 April 1926, Page 4

WORLD'S SHIPBUILDING

CONSTRUCTION DURING 1925. OUTPUT OP 2,193,000 TONS. GREAT .BRITAIN. AND IRELAND LEAD. Acording to Lloyd's annual, sum. mary of mercantile shipbuilding of the Avorld the total output during 1925 reached 2,193,404 tons. These figures represent a decrease of 54,347 tons as compared with 1924, and a decrease of 1,139,478 tons as compared with 1913 during which year the pre-war world's record output was reached. Some interesting facts may be gathered fr,om the summary as regards the special types of vessels and machinery included in the output of the year under review. The total launches included twenty-nine vessels, of about 262,000 tons, which will be fitted with steam turbines. The average tonnage of these vessels exceeds 900.0 tons.

The tonnage of new vessels which are being fitted with internal combustion engines shows a considerable increase. During 1925, 843,629 tons wire launched . This total represents tibou't 65 per cent of the world's out. put of steam tonnage for 1925, as compared with 29i per e cent in 1924, and it may be stated that the tonnage of motor shipfe building in the world at Ithe beginning of 1926 almost equals that of the steam ton., nage under construction, thus l showing the continued remarkable development which is taking place in the adoption of this system of pro. pulsion.. Of the 855 vessels launched in the world during the year, 116 were of between 4000 and, 6000 tons, eightyfive between,'6ooo arid 10,000 ions, and twenty-three over 10,000 tons each.■ During 1925, excluding vessels of less than 1000 tons, 48 vessels, of which have been built for the.carri. age of, oil in bulk. The larger proportion of this tonnage is built on the Isherwood system of longtitudinal framing, the total number and' tonnage of vessels built on this system during. 1925 being thirty.threie, of about 243,000 tons, excluding those of less; than 1000 tons. The countries where the largest outputs have been recorded during 1925 are as follow: — Ton& Great Britain and Ireland . 1,084,633 Germany . . • 406,374 Italy ■ ».. • ■ < ■ 142,046 United States . . 128,776 Holland . . • 78,823 Prance . . . 75,569 Denmark . . . . 73,268 In. Great Britain and Ireland the tonnage launched during 1925 was 1,084,633, which figure is 355,252 tons less than that for 1924, and 847*,520 Itons lower than for 1913, the pre-war record year. This output represents 49.5 per cent of the. worlds output during 1925, as compared with. 64.1 per cent in 1924. During the year under review, 121 vessels of 406,374 tons were' launched in German yards. As compared with the outpult for 1924, the present figures show the large increase of 231,261 tons and represent ..nearly 37 per cent of the total output abroad during 1925. The countries having the largest amounjt. of tonnage under construction at the end of 1925 were: Great Britain and Ireland, 885,013 tons; Italy, 309, 578 tons; Germany, 234,. 145 tons; France 167,256 tons; Holland; 108,894 tons; and United States, of America, 105,211 tptns. It is of interest 'to compare jtho total of the world merchant fleets in 1914 with the latest available figures. Disregarding sailing vessels and wood steamers in view of their compara T tively small importance in Inter, national trade,, the gross" tonnage of sea-going steel and iron steamers and molorships amounted in June, 1914, to 42,514,000 while at June, 1925, Ithe figures reached 58,785,000 —an increase of over 16 million tons.

A remarkable change has taken place in the total tonnage of some types of vessels included in the above ligures. For instance, tankers have increased since 1914 from 1,479,000 tons to 5,384,290 tons; mo)torshlps from 234,000 tons to nearly 2| million tons; and the tonnage of steam, ors fitted for burning oil fuel, from 1,810,000 to 17,804,122. The amounit of shipping laid up .has of course.a most important bearon the question of finding profitable employment for the enormous tonnage now in existence. The latest published world figured relajte to March, 1925, when nearly 5| million tons gross were laid up, over three, quarters of this total being United Stiites tonnage. The figures of vessels laid up in Greajt Britain and Ireland, which were then about 604,000 ton gross, have, however, sinc e been increased to about 919,000 tons gross.