New-York tribune., 1921-11-21
The Oil Age in Shipping
Tendency to DO Away With Coal the Outstanding Feature
of Lean Period in Shipbuildng
(Frons Tho London Morning Post)

From the annual report Of Lloyds
Register Of Shipping for the year
ended June 30 last emerge two out
standing facts. One is that the ship
building trade Of the world is at pres
ent passing through one Of the most
acute crises in its history, due to the
lack of orders for new tonnage; the
other relates to the very remarkable
extension in the use Of oil, in place Of
coal, as fuel in vessels.
"The consumption of coal, in the case
of the steamers now in existence which
are fitted for oil fuel" says the re-
port, would represent something ap-
preaching 20,Oo0,ooo tons per annum."
The amount Of tonnage classed by
the society during the year ended June
80 indicated considerable diminution.
The figures show oil vessels of 3,245,-
130 tons gross, equal to reduction of
2b per cent from those of the previous
twelve months. The total tonnage
classed by Lloyds Register during
the year, however, represented higher
percentage of the worlds output than
the average of previous years.
Unprecedented Slump
AS regards uncompleted tonnage at
the end of June, vessels totaling 1885,
5l1 tons gross were built in the world
under the inspection of Lloyds'
Register. "This figure, however, in
cludes about 704,oOO tons on which
work was suspended from one cause
OF another, SO that the tonnage ac-
tually under construction at that time
was, approximately, 3,531,000 tons
gross. Unfortunately, this total is
altogether illusory as criterion Of
building activity in the near future,
for thera is q great falling off in the
numbers of new orders, in evidence of
which it should be noted that the num-
Der of plans for new vessels passed by
the society during the twelve months
ended June 80, 1921, has dropped to
433 proposals, representing tonnage
Of 1,651,650. This decline has been
followed in recent months by further
reductions on SO extensive a scale as
to indicate slump in orders for new
tonnage without precedent in the his
| tory Of the society,""
| OF the Oil new vessels to which
classes were assigned by the commit
tee during the year, 240, Of 1,2l9,27o
gross tons, were built in the United
States; 439, of 1,163,59O gross tons,
in the United Kingdom; 70, of 356, ,18O
gross tons, in Japan; At, of 1929
gross tons, in Holland; and As, of
1894 900 gross tons, in the British
dominions. The ownership of the ma.
! jority of these vessels is as follows:
! United States Of America, 223 yes.
sells Of 1,160,370 gross tons.
United Kingdom, 800 vessels of &c.
6s8 gross tons.
japan, 81 vessels of sl2,sso gross
tons.
British dominions, Al vessels oi
l62,289 gross tons.
| Holland, 81 vessels Of 1888 gross
tons.
Use Of OIL Fuel
Vessels to the number of 35S, rep
resenting 1,867,115 gross tons--or 5s
ner cent of the total tonnage of new
vessels classed during the year undes
review--were fitted for burning oil
fuel. A table shows the large increase
which has taken place during the last
three years in the number of vessels
either originally fitted to burn oil fuel
or subsequently converted for tina!
purpose. The figures represent all yes