The progress in the marine transportation of petroleurn is represented, in the recent years as well as in the past, by the increase in the carrying capacity of the world oil-tanker fleet and especially by the continued reduction in the freight cost of the industry.
Some statistics show the growth in the tanker fleet and the present fleet classified by size and flag. The patterns of the international oil trades are described as the basis of the requirements for a bigger fleet.
Various technical characteristics of today's large ships are enumerated with their economical advantages.
The relation of ship's size to the building cost and the freight cost are discussed and illustrated. An example is shown of the reduction of freight as experienced in the crude import to Japan.
Presented at the end are the various problems that need to be studied and solved if the industry is to profit by the trend toward still larger ships. A future perspective of the trend is introduced.
Les progrès réalisés dans le transport maritime du pétrole au cours des dernières années, comme pré- cédemment, ont consisté en une augmentation des capacités de transport de la flotte mondiale et plus particulièrement en une réduction continue du coût du transport pour l'industrie pétrolière.
Des tableaux montrent l'accroissement de la flotte pétrolière et la situation actuelle de la flotte mondiale classée par capacité des navires et par pavillon. La description des mouvements du pétrole sur les grandes routes internationales justifie le besoin d'augmentation de la flotte.
Les caractéristiques des supertankers d'aujourd'hui sont énumérées avec l'explication de leurs avantages économiques. Le rapport de la taille des navires par rapport à leur coût de construction et aux frais d'exploitation est examiné et illustré. Un exemple décrit les résultats obtenus pour l'importation du pétrole brut au Japon.
Les divers facteurs qui restreignent la tendence future d'augmentation de la taille des navires et les divers problèmes qu'il faut résoudre sont étudiés. On conclut sur une perspective des tendances futures.
On the development and progress of marine transportation of petroleum, Mr. L. F. Kahle and Mr. A. J. Kelly, Jr., of Standard Oil Co. (N.J.) made public a very significant and suggestive study in their review, entitled "The Role of Sea Transportation in the Petroleum Industry", at the Fifth World Petroleum Congress in 1959.
Eight years have passed since then. During this period, which cannot be said to be so long, the development and progress in marine transportation of petroleum have been so remarkable that it is difficult to believe that it has been accomplished in only eight years.
It is considered very significant that at this Seventh by T. IZUTA, Chairman ofthe Japan Tanker Owners' Association, Japan.
Congress this theme has been assigned
