PROPOSED STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF SHIPPING CONTROLS ON WESTERN EUROPE AND THE SOVIET BLOC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92B01090R000300020028-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 39
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 30, 2001
• Sequence Number: 28
• Content Type: STUDY

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SocuriV infoitaLw.on,
PROPOSED STUD!
THE IMPACT OF SHIPPING
CONTROLS ON WESTERN
EUROPE AND THE SOVIET BLOC
Part I The Soviet Blot reichant Fleet
Part It - Impact on Weetorm Europo of ?tett
Shipping Controlo
Part III. Political ConzL6omtions
'Part IV . Importance of Naocbant Vessela to tha
Soviet Bloc in Ti of War
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I0 7.12.12Ipt Bloc Merchant Fleet
A. ammelIka. As of 15 May 1952 the _viet Bloc merchant eaeet
consisted of 808 ships (over 1000 gross tons) of about 2*7 minim grt 3
tons. This total includes merchant ships under Soviet Moo registry te
well as 48 Chinese Communist ships rogieterod in noneComeeeist countrie06
The USSR hal about three-quarters of the Soviet Bloe shipping tonnagea
that is, 592 ships of about 2 million Erase tons, C,ommianiet China hae
135 ships of 366 thousand gross tons (almost half- et the tennage Wong
under noneCommunist flag). Peland hEe 67 ships of 154 thoisand groes
tons. The remaining 14 ships of 47 thousand gross 'one am reviete.
in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Rumania. ,..Fer detail eee
Table I.)
By Western standards the Soviet Bloc merchent f e t is of poor
quality. Even with the inclusion of 83 LendeLeaee anier of 518 thousend
grometons, the USSR fleet is definitely overeage? ef Glee epood and
smell site, and close to obsolete. Two-thirde are over 20 years old;
nine-tenths cannot exceed a normal cruising speed of 12 knots; three-
,
quarters are under 5000 gross tons (the average sine b4;:l.vg 3450 gripes
tons); and threeefifths are coal burners. As a fuel far eeeehent ships
coal is inferior to oil, but on the other hens coal-bureire shipe are
in some respects more suitable for the Bloc, especially ;41 tho Bloc fl et
lacks tankers to transport oil to such areae as the Baaait her
petroleum is not locally produced.
The USSR merchant fleet has an acuteelack.of teakore. The
USSR tankers haveS combined capacity of about 200 thoUraa deadeoight
tone, which, for example, is equal to only three dierso preduction ce?:
the Abadan refineries. By way of contrast, the United Steels hes over
600 tankers with a capacity of almost 10 million deedweight tons, Pere
centage-wise tankers comprise only 6,5 per cent of USSR- toenatea ehercas
the comparable United States figure is tbout 24 per contu
- Precise information is not available on the comae:Lon of the
USSR merchant fleet, but it is estimated that at levet 20 par cent of the
USSR tonnage is out of service for ropaira at home and abroad at any
given tiaeo and an additional unknown amount is probably f_noporativo
because of oboolescence and poor material condition. oxs
-le
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contribute to ?the deterioration of the USSR merchant 17.a.go
number of very old ships in the fleet inefficient raaintqrarm Xre S Wein
winter ice conditions in Soviet ports excpt 5.nthe Blaec Soao
In general., the Chinese Comist 2116:T Chant rtariv,e 1s
84iniaar to those of other Soviet Bloc fleets, The ships r?Ilkr for the a!iost
part slow and small-0 but the fleet is7surser than t1s(13FR. marchsth-, Qtaino
and has a higher percentage of oil-burning alLts30 Tie; tk U,C,"3175 t8:diera
having on37 13. tota3.1ing 15,056 gseass tem, China chi er Salarat marit4r
strength is its huge fleet of small craft (tindfer `,4.0Cfs, grcss tons) :ft is
impossible to estimate the number end tetra tcornago of 'Aloe snail ship'
except in indefinite figures, that ia? tie-meanie cx.;14 !!hip:?..o4tallirr7; MilL'aj.
hundred thousand gross taas?
Compared to the USSR merchant marine? the FO3.1311 fleet :Ls yourvc
and teeter, but the ships are on ar. 8verage ecNally remit .(7,t117,1 tworage
size being 3787 gross tens), and a majorii7 ax a catl trxc ia1, boint;
plentiful in Polars4 This fleet also lacks tatikereo Trg.-.;,.-ei,',!thzo ttm
ships are over 20 years old; over twe.thirde have a roams:, vN.11.14:124-;
of less than 12 knots; three.quarters are =464 5000 vostil tmesN and Uwe*,
titths as coal,burnerso
The merchant fleets of the ?thee Sate11.1;i4 rsaticus (13u.:14;oria,,
Czec2oslevalda0 Hungary, and Rumenia) are se small thnt iu,:,o1 do :tie,
detailed discussion? However* it is bratclarttry that Ii:oza%itist hra3 a 66:32 g7:03
ton passenger liner, the TRANSYLVANIA?
The shipping tonnage under Commeast ors hip has inssed. try
235 ,per cent since 1939. (That is for every 100 to in 11939 then3 =JD 2:ki
tons today) In September 1939 the 'USSR had 354 ships of ?.3?a. rilU. 61.:ven
tome, In May 1949 the USSR fleet had inmvased to 5si2 thpcef1Q8 riale.ln
gross ton.% because of the addition of 83 US Lzad-Leaso atLd rexratirNas
or seizures from Estonia* Latvia, Finland and Germanyj at iTh!) sawn se tba
Communists had 184 ships of 560 thousend eevss towl ti o European Satt1.1.:Itas
sad Commundst China, so that the total Soviet Bloc fleet Urn rgnotaikeiliz706
ships of 204 million gross tons() Beteeen May 1949 ad M,74y 1952 Sit 3zo
merchant tonnage increased by over ten per cent, In this pef-wd. the M.:R
fleet showed a net Increase of 70 ships of 351 thatistrd tuiss Lac:1111Lut;
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SCRET
30 shire built in Hungary, 25 in Finland? 3 in Po3and mil 15' in rors,,Commurizt
shipyards, and the European Satellite fleets increazei by 32 hip f los
thousand gross tons (25 Polish ships including .13 purallasel -at the ',1rest,
3 Rumanian, 2 Bulgarian, one Hungarian, and one Czech),) so thet in 71ay 1952
the total Soviet Bloc merchant fleet comprised 808 sh-lps of. 2,7 million gro3.e
tons, (For details see Table no)
Bo 81.2.2i thin the Bloc
lo a Soviat Bloc Shiufl4g Shipbuildinz fimilAtics thi th3
Soviet Bloc are capable of producing 19290,200 &Ales registered. tom. faX
shipping (merchant and navy) per year? Cf this total,) tho USSR is
capable of constructing /47,400 gross tempi Fbiarri,9 2C03300 groz; thnif4
and East Germany, 2.86,850 gross tons. Caechoslovnidao P.L.Arala, Comtagralt
China, Bulgaria, Hungary and Albania? have a total capaoi. F of 1552,650
gross tone per year (See Table III)
Although the USSR is capable of proivaLng 7470000 preS3tmse
shipping per year, at the present time its naximzi otrpnt. of mprzhant
shipping is estimated to be only' 290,000 grass to all mnr.11 orft o.7
less than four per cent of its total capability, main1;?,/ 7aeoause
concentrated naval construction program.
b Tecbnologtca3. Abilityi Technological chilikf "[that -Ls, in
shipyard facilities? engineer% and skilled labor) of tin Bloc to urodiee
a given ship? is roughly comparable to that of tl.,e Ut!e.ted. States. or Graet
Britaino Quality of Soviet Bloc techniciaes oorapaves 2,wrora1i. viith tao
West, but quantity of trained personnel oonstituive a ihorteming in shl,p-
beating capabilitieso
c Location and Capacityof Facilities: Mere Vim on hi' of
the entire shipbuilding capacity of the Scmiet Bicei ce:tad fm the
USSR and concentrated in five areas: Baltic, BlvecSa rico Far DLit
r-"IiSia-RraM-1-3r-early capacity is based on ono eiert-boar L,115.2:t%, five,43,ay
week operation, without general use of prefabricationo and essluring the 43011:74,)tt
and supp30. of shipbuilding =Aerial and comptment partsa rdquat It b.-1
been calculated from the largest cargo ship 'which cou2,1 btfilt i thatm
in the dock, with reference to adequate supporting shop 1:?Zaitiolis aild a 7Tkxluctivito
of labor based on lawyer US performance standards,
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4?10 0.? Ola
and inland? Of the Satellites, Poland and East Germy leave a weedned
capacity of one-third of the total Soviet Bloc tannage; Ceechoslovekla?
Rumania Communist China, leelgarias Hungary and Albania can seruct about
oneeelarth of the total Soviet Bloc tonnage. (See '.1etble
d. Bottlenecks: Steel shipbuilding plate13 lled shapes., propulsien
equipmmat and castings are in short supply in the Satellites? end imports
from the West are necessary to maintain a satisfactory lave' of merchant
shipping production. While such hard goods could be ineeveted from tba
USSRD it would necessitate a reduction in the USSR,s naval ship corstruction
yerogram.
2 Nw Construction in Progress or Planriecl: The present cenetruction
of merchant ships in the. Soviet Bloc is limited to enlard wailermay vonselav
coastal merchant ships and fishing vessels? While the future ceeesteuetion
program in the USSR in unknowne Poland and Germany are veming at the me-Tarza-
na:at of their overseas merchant fleetso These airse as sta.tocip vary considerdely
from time to 'time, and no realistic estimate of future varlet:me-Lien piny be
30 Conversion and Usage of Old Vessels: In the imeedlate past tbe
Soviet Bloc relied rather heavily on the conversion and repair af old and
salvaged vessels as a means of building Up their merchant fleeta, ever though
costa have neceosarily been excessive? If Satellite shipbtaildleele fa.oelibice
and production should be expanded, as stated in various plans, it is probable
that such uneconomical methods will be discontinued,
Shifting of 1.....Wen.)._egources: If iraports from the West ere uubjected to
greater restrictions than now 'satiate a corresponding strain wila be placed en
the econouv of the Soviet Bloc. Depending on the final aims of the Bloc
naval versus merchant shipping construction ? resources from the West (includl
both materials and shipping services) allotted to the naval =retraction
.program may be transferred to the merchant shipbuilding industry if their merchant
fleets are to be expanded arx1 maintained.
C. New Construction and Purchases in the Weat?
Extent and Nature of Soviet Bloc Purchases: nhe last five
years the Soviet Bloc has purchased from Western coaletrl.es 20 r. reclaim& ships
of 107 thousand gross tons which were not of new coextructiono Of those
hip
17 are under Polish registry two are registered in Bulgaria, and ono is
registered in Czechoslovalda, Three ewe bought in 76947,) on3 2.948 tufo in
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1949, four in 1950, and 10 in 1952, Six were bought in the Beitish Empire,
Tour in Denmark, four in Norwaye two in Sweden, and ore eaoh ia Frarnee Delgi
the Philippines, and the United States ? One is a dreegpr, ono is a tanker,
and the remainder are freighters. Fourteen are under 7000 geese to and 10
have normal cruising speed of lees than 12 knotse (For detafla see Table Ilo)
In addition to the above mentioned purehasee? eince 1949 the
Soviet Bloc has received 23 ships of 45,000 &roes to cannteucted rnder treele-
agreements in Western shipyardee Of these ships 19 ennt to''ehp USSR, thee to
Polandii. eel me. to Bulgaria, Two were delivered in 1949e f.one in 195Ce 12 in
29521 and 5 in 1952 (as of 15 May). Thirteen were built in .3a1exario throe in
Sweden, tee each in Britain, Finlande and Italy, and.ene in Denmark. Thirtean
are cargo vesseis, five are trawieren three art tankers, and two axe combinations,
The average size is 1981 gross tons, Sawa ships have a nomll cruising
speed in excess of 12 knotse
As of 15 May 1952, 53 more Thi
of 1080000 geese tone were
under construction or an order for the Soviet Bice in sieWeeteva shireeenda,
=are destined for the USSR. Thirty-two are on order in Flellande eight in
the Netherlands, SOT= in Derererk0 five in Beigiume
ana caa tm Smvdeu, Thirty
are cargo vessels, twenty-three are tankers, an0 six are enfAnatione, The
average size is 2190 gross tons. An unconflemed Iwo:et stat *e that Italy
has contracted to build for the USSR six ships of 210000 geese tonse
a, The Soviets are willing to my a gremlum for merthenn?.,
shipping *Instructed to their order in the West? Ir WO= (be2dzved la
be representative of the general situation) taffy pay gity per ova mora
than the current matiorb price, Details arc pot;ayallablo on /trims pall
birth? Soviets for second-band ships,
be The Soviets arrange for new occesteuction directly a
overt-lye Of the 23 secondhand ships Which the Strelot ban teuelet
sines 1950, four are knowe to have bean transferead tathe Blokl lvder
the terns of trade agreementse and the remainder weao ,aqufxed mcre or
less covertly, usually through an intermediary as'', '1 eeried of operatien
=ler Soviet Bloc charter,
co Noe
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