MAIDEN VOYAGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1053, 18 August 1930, Page 16

MAIDEN VOYAGE

NEW ZEALAND THE LATEST IN OIL-TANKERS

TRIM AND SMART MOTORSHIP The trim lines and smart grey appearance of the New Zealand are well in keeping with her reputation as the newest type of oil tanker to be placed in service between the United States and Australian and New Zealand ports. The vessel arrived from San Pedro via Australian ports on her maiden voyage this morning and berthed at the Western Wharf. The motor-ship, appropriately named the New Zealand, is under charter to the Texas Oil Company and is being operated between that organisation’s refinery at Los Angeles and ports in Australia and New Zealand. The tanker was completed at Barclay, Curie and Company's yard, Glasgow, and finished her trials on May 12. Under the commandership of Captain L. V. Amundsen she sailed the same day for Los Angeles to load for Australian and New Zealand ports. The New Zealand has been constructed on what is known as the Isherwood system, and is propelled by two Diesel engines. She is 500 ft overall and 438 ft between perpendiculars. Her extreme beam is 65ft 6in, and moulded depth 36ft 9in. Her total cargo oil tank capacity is 640,000 cubic ft, or roughly 115,000 barrels of oil. She has 10 main tanks, port and starboard, and six summer tanks, port and starboard, each tank having modern safety devices for the handling of refined products. She is fitted with the usual cofferdams, pumprooms, oiltight bulkheads, expansion trunks, vent and vacuum valves and a smothering system. She is equipped with two main cargo pumps, each capable of handling 2.500 barrels of oil an hour. Suction lines are 12in, with lOin connections in each tank. Two powerful Doxford engines, of four cylinders each, propel the New Zealand, each cylinder being 18ft 9in in diameter by 74in stroke. The ship is designed for ll\ knots an hour, with a fuel consumption of 14 tons a day, and a bunker capacity for 20,000 miles. She is equipped with two “donkey” boilers to furnish the necessary steam for auxiliary machinery and pumps. Each boiler is oilfiring, but one is equipped to utilise exhaust gases from the main engines.