B.P. Motor Ships

Re-arrangement of Inter- Island Fleet

OWING to restricted operations in trad ing and shipping, Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd., in recent months, have re arranged their fleet of small, inter-island motor-vessels.

SS “Mirani”, 739 tons, has been sold to the AUSN Company and now is in the Queensland coastal service. She was built in Scotland in 1928 and saw service in New Guinea before being transferred to the New Hebrides in October, 1935, to replace the old “Makambo”.

MV “Moamoa” has been sold to the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. and now is running along the Australian coast. She was built at Hong Kong in 1937 and entered the Gilbert Islands service the same year. She has a length of 145 ft., breadth, 28 ft., and depth, 9 ft.

The motor vessels “Matafele” and “Ma mutu”, both of which were built for Burns Philp (SS) Co. Ltd. in Hong Kong in 1938 for work in the Central Pacific, have been sold to Burns, Philp and Co.

Ltd., to replace the “Muliama” and “Mai wara” in the New Guinea inter-island service.

The ‘‘Matafele” (335 tons) entered the Samoan inter-island service in December, 1938, to replace the “Makoa”, which was wrecked on a reef at Hull Island some months earlier. Later, she was trans ferred to the Fiji coastal trade. She has a length of 110 ft.; breadth, 25 ft.; depth, Hi ft.; and two full diesel engines give a speed of 9 knots. The “Matafele” has cargo space for about 120 tons of copra and can carry 8 passengers.

The “Mamutu” entered the Solomon Is lands inter-island trade in 1938. She has a length of 110 ft.; breadth, 251 ft.; depth, 111 ft., and is 300 tons gross.

The “Maiwara”, which has been sold was well known in the New Guinea inter island service. She is a steamer of 621 tons, and was built at Glasgow in 1924.

The “Muliama”, which will shortly sup plement the service between Sydney and Papua and New Guinea, was built in Hong Kong in 1937, and entered the New Guinea inter-island trade towards the end of that year. She is a motor-vessel of 689 tons, 165 ft. long and 31 ft. broad.

Her passenger accommodation is for 8 people, and the dining room seats 24,