British owners order ships overseas
‘Naess Clipper’ – Britains largest bulk carrier, built in Japan
The Motor Ship’s November 1961 issue carried the rather alarming news that British ships were being ordered from abroad, rather than owners patronising their domestic shipyards.
The reasons for this were, primarily and unsurprisingly, price, closely followed by delivery dates. Other reasons cited were credit facilities and, in one case, the fact that the UK builder had refused to install a foreign-built engine. British yards were able to match, or beat, the overseas builders for delivery dates, but foreign yards were more amenable to contracts that imposed a penalty for late completion. Of the 34 orders placed abroad, 13 were being built in Holland, with the remainder in Germany, France, Sweden, Spain and Norway.
The same issue featured the largest British bulk carrier to date, which had been built not in any of the countries listed above, but in Japan. The 35,000dwt Naess Clipper, which would trade between the USA, Japan and South America, had been delivered to Anglo-Pacific Shipping from Mitsubishi’s Nagasaki works. The ship was powered by what was thought to be the first large Mitsubishi two-stroke engine in a non-Japanese registered ship – a 9UEC 75/150 rated 13,200bhp at 124rpm. The Mitsubishi UEC series continues, of course, albeit in considerably upgraded form, today. The engine was noted for its “inherent good breathing”, thanks to a triple exhaust valve arrangement, which resulted in a good fuel consumption for the time of 153.6g/bhp-h at rated output.
A reminder of how comparatively recent is the container and reefer trade came with the report of Israel’s first large refrigerated ship, the 136m Har Ramon, which had been built primarily for the banana trade, but could also carry other fruit, meat or shrimps. The insulated cargo spaces, in four main holds, were lined with aluminium alloy, and cooled by a five-compressor, four-condenser Freon 12 refrigeration plant sited in a separate compartment in the engine room. The main engine was a turbocharged MAN KZ70/120C of 8,150bhp at 130rpm.
And the customary foretaste of future technology came in the shape of a short-sea bulk cement carrier, the John Wilson, built by Robbs of Leith for Wilsons of New Zealand. Five gensets - three Bellis & Morcom 785bhp, one B&M 120bhp and a Ruston 62.5bhp – provided power for the cargo handling equipment and the 1,600bhp double-armature propulsion motor.
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