WORLD’S MERCHANT FLEETS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2625, 6 October 1909, Page 7

WORLD’S MERCHANT FLEETS.

SOME INTERESTING FIGURES

The new issue of Lloyd’s “Register of Shipping” contains some interesting figures. The Red Ensign covers 11,565 steamers and sailing ships of 18,826,442 tons. Out of a world’s total of 30,540 such vessels of over 100 tons, the aggregate' tonnage being 41,449,707 tons, we have 45 per cent of the whole. The American total of sea-going and lake tonnage is 4,953,812 tons, whilst Germany has 4,226,713 tons,, of which 3,889,000 tons is in steamers. Norway comes next. Then France, Italy, and Japan, the latter only totalling 1,152,000 tons. Our total of 18,826,442 tons comprises 17,702,714 tons of steamers, and 1,132,728 of sailing vessels. The United States, with 1,291,480 tons of sailing vessels, exceeds our total, and thus the Stars and Stripes have only 3,662,332 tons of steamers, falling behind the 3,889,046 tons of Germany. There are afloat 101 steamers of 20 knots and upwards, of which the United Kingdom has 61. The United States comes next- with ten such vessels. France has nine, Germany six, Belgium 7, Japan and Holland three each and Russia two. The Dutch and Belgian vessels are, of course, only cross-Chan-nel vessels. Britain holds her pre-emin-ence also in her proportion of big steamers.