Inter-island shipping

Title

Creator

Vander Hoogt, G. F.

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XXIV (No. 12) December 1948

Year

1948

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Ocean Shipping By F. M. Gispert Secretary, Associated Steamship Lines IN spite of the Pacific Coast shipping strike, no de cline in total exports was noted during the month of October. Vessels to the number of 84 lifted 143,352 tons, as against 81 vessels with 107,936 tons for the pre vious month. Last year during October, however, 68 vessels lifted 164,507 tons. Copra shipments continued to decline but most other commodities showed a steady increase. Principal commodities exported during October, 1948, as compared with October, 1947, were: 191,7 Cigars..................... 1 ton 4 tons Desiccated coconut . 9,823 ” 5,490 ” Coconut oil............ 8,633 ” 4,006 ” Copra...................... 37,837 ” 98,427 ” Copra cake............ 2,119 ” 5,843 ’’ Hemp...................... 32,775 bales 63,550 bales Logs and lumber . . 2,796,526 board feet 24,696 board feet Ores......................... 25,274 tons 16,018 tons Rope........................ 295 ” 245 ” Sugar...................... 5,016 ” — Tobacco................... 184 ” 887 ” Port Of Manila By E. W. Schedler General Manager, Luzon Brokerage Company PUBLISHED with these notes is the incoming car go tonnage over the Manila piers, to and includ ing November, 1948, which month is on an esti mated basis. As can be readily seen, tonnage for 1948 totailed 1,781,370 tons for eleven months, against 1,676,340 tons equivalent for 1948, or an increase of 105,022 tons.. Philippine businessmen are not so much inter ested in this tonnage as they are in the prospects for cargo in 1949. As this is being written, it appears that the settlement of the Pacific Coast strike is in the final stages and that any hour a news report will state all hands will return to work. Pacific Coast ships can then be expected in Manila, beginning early January, 1949. It appears there are some 250 ships tied up on the Pacific Coast, some of which are al ready loaded for outward voyages. If too many of these ships arrive simultaneous ly in Manila, it is likely that a minor case of pier congestion will repeat itself, such as we experienced in 1946 and early 1947. Before the war, there were eight berths avail able for handling cargo, that is eight ships could come alongside the docks, and inward cargo amounted to from 95,000 to 105,000 tons monthly. Today we have seven berths to work cargo, and our monthly tonnage has run from 146,000 to 190,000 tons. To further complicate the situation, none of the berths now being worked at Pier 13, Pier 11, or Pier 7, has adequate cargo-handling machinery. Small tractors and dollies are available, as well as portable cranes, but regular overhead cargo-working gear is non-existent. In case ships have to lie off the piers awaiting berth, inside the breakwater, there are the following anchorages: 3 with 29V2 feet of water; 2 with 24 feet; and 4 with 25 feet. The harbor alongside the piers and anchorages needs dredging badly. It is reported that the Bureau of Public Works proposes to begin on this project at an early date. To remove and distribute cargo from the piers, there is an ample number of trucks available mostly belonging to the licensed customs brokers who oper ate fleets for this purpose. Where lighters can be used, some 9,000 tons of flat lighters are available in the Manila area. House lighters of the dry-cargo type total 14,000 tons. Bulk lighters of the liquid-cargo type approximate 10,000 tons. Firms working on the waterfront report a gen eral reduction in pilferage and loss over what was sustained last year, and the general impression is that there has been an improvement in cargo-handling at the Port of Manila. TOTAL TONNAGE HANDLED FOR YEAR 1948 NO. OF MONTH VESSELS TOTAL TONS January 58 135,209.581 February 62 158,666.244 March 76 189,542.323 April 80 183,844.966 May 78 215,159.844 June 79 176,460.616 July 78 151,627.124 August 82 189,787.163 September 73 146,475.877 124,596.735 October 63 November 60 * 110,000.000 * • Estimated Total .. .... 1,781,370.473 TOTAL TONNAGE HANDLED FOR YEAR 1947 NO. OF MONTH VESSELS TOTAL TONS January 48 227,354.051 February 45 192,740.392 March 51 194,458.002 April 54 165,561490 May 56 135,738.255 June 55 115,441.630 July 60 118,156.982 August 54 105,742.836 September 65 143,792.560 October 58 131,446.678 November 63 145,916.236 Total .......... 1,676,348.812 Total Tonnage (11 months) 1948: 1,781,370.473 Total Tonnage (11 months) 1947: 1,676,348.812 Increase . . . . . . 105,021.661 Inter-Island Shipping By G. F. Vander Hoogt Manager, Everett Steamship Corporation IN last month’s article, we mentioned that the West Coast maritime strike in the United States had not yet affected inter-island shipping to any noticeable extent. This situation has changed lately. Ordinarily, considerable movement of goods is done by inter-is land vessels at this time of the year, but this is now much lower than usual. There are many items of export from United States West Coast ports which are very much in demand in the Philippines during the Christmas season, but these are presently avail able only in limited quantities, which naturally af438 440 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL December, 1948 fects the freight movement by inter-island vessels. The present over-all picture of inter-island ship ping is rather gloomy. The reasons for this have been stated repeatedly in this colum in various issues of this Journal. The number of vessels previously sold or chartered by the Philippine Shipping Com mission to private operators, which are now being returned by these operators to the Commission, is in creasing steadily. No longer is the operation of inter island vessels an attraction for investment as it was a year ago, and by now, new investors interested in taking over from previous operators have almost dis appeared. Shipping companies are taking the necessary steps to improve the situation through strict eco nomy in operation, application for revision of tariff rates, and legislation favorable to coastwise shipping, and, with the gradual disappearance of many of the surplus vessels which have accounted for the unnec essary extra tonnage, it is expected that those opera tors who survive the crisis will soon enjoy better times. Lumber By E. C. Von Kauffmann President, Philippine Lumber Producers’ Association PRODUCERS exporting lumber have been some what relieved to learn from the Government that shipments at outports will more or less be allow ed as in the past. However, full advantage of this could not be taken because of the prolonged American West Coast shipping strike and export lumber has accumulated at the mills because of lack of ships. Some space was available, but shipowners re quired the routing of cargoes via Tacoma, and as this compelled shippers to absorb an extra rail-tranship ment charge, which in most cases they could not afford, very few shipments have gone out during the last two months. Now that the strike is over, shipping companies are actively soliciting lumber cargoes and these are expected to move out again soon. The local market has remained practically un changed. December is likely to be, as usual, a alow month. Prices are expected to improve by the first of the new year. Copra and Coconut Oil By Manuel Igual General Manager, El Dorado Trading Company, Inc. and Kenneth B. Day President, Philippine Refining Company PHILIPPINE copra price levels, in comparison with world markets, were extremely artificial during the period under review, they being maintained almost wholly by the disappointing local supply. Con sequently, Philippine copra was consistently priced above copra elsewhere in the world, and the only reason why it sold was because of relative scarcity elsewhere. We started the period with a steady market, buy ers’ ideas being around $250 c.i.f. Pacific Coast or f.o.b. Philippines with about $10 premium for East Coast delivery. Shipments to the West Coast were bar red because of the stevedores’ strike, but in some in stances buyers were interested for shipment by Amer ican vessels guaranteed to ride the strike out at destia BYRON JACKSON CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS a JENKINS INDUSTRIAL VALVES WATER AND STEAM ii a a A. C. F. LUBRICATED PLUG VALVES a VICTAULIC COUPLINGS NAYLOR PIPE a a a EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVES $ F'~ a I $ H a H $ H j ■ *^i i I J’ ATKIN S. KROLL _ EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTORS MYERS BLDG., PORT AREA TEL.2-94-67 J!

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