PM Transcripts

Press Statement No. 272
14 June 1974
WIFE OF PRIME MINISTER TO LAUNCH NEW ANL SHIP
( Statement by the Australian Minister for Transport, the
Honourable C. K. Jones, M. P.)
The Australian Minister for Transport, Mr C. K. Jones,
said today that Mrs Margaret Whitlam, the wife of the Prime
Minister, would launch the Australian National Line's new vessel,
Australian Emblem, in Japan on 9 August.
The launching of the 23,000 tonne vehicle/ deck container
vessel would take place at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Shipyard
in Kobe, and was scheduled to enter the Australian/ Japan trade in
December this year.
Mr Jones said that the new ship would join the Eastern
Searoad Service, an integrated container service, comprising the
Australian National Line, Flinders Shipping Company Limited,
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd, IK' Line) and a consortia of three
other Japanese Lines, Nippon Yuesn Kabushiki Kaisha
Mitsui-O. S. K. Lines Limited and Shinnihon Steamship Co.
Limited Line).*
This large, fast vessel was the first of the E. SS.
second generation and had been designed to meet the requirements
of the trade between the two countries particularly in respect
of refrigerated cargo.
" The vessel's design is a further development of the
concepts well known to the Australian National Line. It embodiesthe
vehicle deck and cellular container concepts. This ensures
fast handling and turnabout times. This feature has particularly
attracted shippers to the Eastern Searoad Service," Mr Jones said.
The vessel had an overall length of 223 metres, a beam
of 30 metres and a draft of' 10.36 metres. It also had a capacity
of 1410 x 5.9m containers.
Another vessel of the same type on order for the Flinders
Shipping Company Limited, an Australian Flag Company, was scheduled
to join the E. S. S. Service in mid-1975. The cost of both vessels
was $ 209~ each.