Page 32: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1969)

Norfolk Terminals Scene Of Belgian Line's Inauguration Of Full Containership Service Belgian Line's containership MV Rubens loads at Norfolk International Terminals. The discharging and loading, recently, of the MV Rubens at Norfolk International Terminals, inaugurated the conversion of the four Belgian Line Painter-class vessels to full containerships. Eric de Spirlet, president, and Jacques LeBlanc, executive vice-president of Belgian Line, were hosts to several hundred guests, including Norfolk Mayor Roy B. Martin Jr., aboard the container-ship to announce the final conver-sion. The vessels are now entirely dependent on the shore cranes available at N.I.T. and other ports serviced by the line. The Belgian Line two-port to two-port concept, which was started in June 1967, has been un-usually successful. Container cargo has tripled and new market areas have opened. Mr. LeBlanc said, "Now we are getting goods which once moved through the Port of New York." The line is also getting goods from the deep South, an Container Inspection Problems Being Studied Adm. John Harllee, USN (ret.), chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, stated recently that the Commission's staff has under active study the possible institution of a Container Inspection Trial Program in the North Atlantic continental trade. "The Federal Maritime Commis-sion staff undertook to make this study," Admiral Harllee said, "after receiving reports of the problems facing shipping companies who wish to devise meaningful proce-dures for inspecting containers in this, the container age. This con-cept of shipping has developed so rapidly that it has brought in its wake many problems peculiar to container shipping, not the least of which is the development of a sys-tem for verifying that the goods in the container conform to the de-scription and quantity declared by the shipper in his bill of lading and related documents. The Federal Maritime Commission is glad to as-sist the industry to solve this prob-lem believing that it is in the in-terest of the shipping public to do so." Admiral Harllee said, "The Com-mission has been intensively study-area never penetrated before. Belgian Line Inc. also an-nounced, at the same time, the formation of a joint trans-Atlantic container service to link the United States and Canada with ports in the United Kingdom and Conti-nental Europe. Compagnie Maritime Beige, Bristol City Line and Clarke Traf-fic Services, of Montreal, are form-ing a consortium which will render the joint service. Orders have been placed for three new large containerships with deliveries expected in 1970. Each vessel will have a capacity of about 1,500 containers of the 20-foot equivalent. In order to meet the increasing demand, and until the new con-sortium setup is finalized, an interim service will be started in 1969 with the four existing containerships which now service New York and Norfolk, and added chartered ves-sels. ing the container-inspection prob-lem and while the trial program is confined to the North Atlantic con-tinental trade, it is felt that this will prove to be a bellwether for other trades in which containers will be used. In the case of the North Atlantic continental trade it is anticipated that the projected survey will be carried out with the full cooperation of both conference and non-conference lines." "Let me stress," Admiral Harl-lee said, "that as of the moment while we are carefully studying this area, no firm program has yet been formulated, our efforts are di-rected toward identifying the prob-lem areas, their magnitude and formulating programs to cope with such problems as may be disclosed." 100,000th Container Received At Bremen On AEIL Sea Witch Ceremonies marking the passage of the 100,000th container through the port were recently held at the Port of Bremen, Germany. The celebration was attended by Bre-men port officials and W. J. Keely, vice-president of American Export Isbrandtsen Lines, Inc., whose ves-sel the Sea Witch brought in the record-setting cargo handling unit. APL Schedules Cruise Ship Upgrading American President Lines' two cruise ships, the President Cleve-land and President Wilson, will be altered to upgrade the economy cruise class accommodations. The improvement program will involve a new cabin layout and additional public rooms. The number of economy class cruise passengers will be cut from 380 to 200. The estimated cost for these changes will be about $200,000 per ship. Blue Water Marine Moves Headguarters To Larger Facilities Blue Water Marine Supply, Inc. Houston-based distributors of equipment and supplies for the maritime and offshore drilling in-dustries, will complete the move of its expanding operations to larger headquarters this month. The firm's new Houston head-quarters location is an 11,250-square-foot single-story building at 1000 Broadway, corner of Chan-nelside Street, on a 29,000-square-foot site. The building provides ample space for showrooms, offices and warehouse facilities to main-tain extensive stocks of equipment and supply items. Walter Turner, president of the company, said the new location offers ample parking area, close proximity to the port city's ship-yards and Ship Channel area and is on a main thoroughfare, easily accessible from all parts of the city. The 14,500-square-foot paved yard area will be used to maintain large stocks of anchors sized through 30,000 pounds and chain sized through 3-inch diameter, Mr. Turner said. Luckenbach Steamship Executive Changes Robert J. Torr Luckenbach Steamship Com-pany has announced the election of Robert J. Tarr to the office of vice-chairman of the board, and Richard E. Barker and Robert Weiss to the office of directors of the company. Mr. Tarr will remain executive vice-president while Edgar F. Luckenbach Jr. continues as chair-man, president, and chief executive officer. Mr. Barker will continue as vice-president, traffic, as will Mr. Weiss retain his title of controller. Mr. Luckenbach stated that these promotions were in recogni-tion of outstanding service to the rapidly expanding 118-year-old company. Prudential To Lease Lighters For New Ships The Maritime Subsidy Board has approved in principle. Prudential Lines application to allow the line to lease, rather than own, the light-ers required for its new LASH-type ships. Prudential Lines has estimated that 425 lighters will be required to keep its five-ship system in op-eration. Avondale Shipyards is building the LASH ships for the line. LIQUID LOADING DOCK on the Mississippi River at Plaquemine, La., capable of han-dling 95,000-dwt oceangoing ships is shown near completion in this aerial view. The 900-foot-long dock was built by Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, and will serve Hercules Incorporated's new methanol processing plant, shown in the right background. 30 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News