Jutlandia - one of the first ocean going motor ships in the world

The Jutlandia, built by Barclay, Curle & Co in 1912. Note the lack of a funnel.

In February 1912 the Danish East Asiatic Company's Selandia became the first ocean going motor vessel in the world. The Selandia ( including its two diesel engines) was built by Burmeister and Wain in Copenhagen, which already in 1894 had began to co-operate with the inventor Rudolf Diesel. 

In addition to the Selandia, the Danish East Asiatic Company had ordered two sister ships to be delivered the same year. Probably due to lack of capacity at Burmeister and Wain, one of the ships, the Jutlandia, was  built on the Clyde in Scotland by Barclay, Curle & Co. The Jutlandia was handed over to the Danish owners in May, 1912. 

The good performance of first ocean going diesel ships made the East Asiatic Company soon switch completely from steamers to diesel powered ships, an example followed by more and more shipowners all over the world:

"In 1914 there were fewer than 300 dieselpowered vessels in service with an aggregate tonnage of 235 000 grt; a decade later the fleet had grown to some 2000 ships of almost two
million grt; and by 1940 the total tonnage had risen to 18 million grt embracing 8000 motor ships.
Between the two world wars the proportion of oil-engined tonnage in service thus expanded from 1.3 to 25 per cent of the overall oceangoing fleet. By 1939 an estimated 60 per cent of the total tonnage completed in world yards comprised motor ships, compared
with only 4 per cent in 1920."

(Pounder’s Marine Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines Eighth edition)

Basic information on the Jutlandia:

• Built: Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow (Yard no. 490)
• Tonnage: 7600 dwt. 4874 gt.
• LBP: 370'
• Beam: 53'
• Depth from Shelterdeck: 30'
• Diesel: 2 pc. 8 cyl. B&W 4-stroke engines. 2500 IHP. Twin screw.
• Service Speed: 11 knots

The Swedish merchant fleet now - and 90 years ago

Rederi A.B. Nordstjernan´s M/S Buenos Aires (1920, 5641 gross tonnes)

The Swedish merchant fleet comprised 375 vessels on 31 December 2011, according to official statistics. This is the lowest number since the present type of  survey started in 1961. It represents a net decrease of 22 ships, due to 27 removals and 5 additions to the fleet. 

The total size of the fleet was 3.8 million gross tonnes, which is a decrease by 6 % or 247 000 gross tonnes compared to 2010.

Swedish shipowners meeting in Malmö in 1902. Their present day collagues are fewer  -  and probably  meet in  less grand halls. 

Just for comparison, a little more than 90 years ago (1921) there were 2790 Swedish commercial ships with a total of 1 174644 gross tonnes. Among the altogether 1600 (!) shipping companies, the largest with regard to number of ships, was Rederi AB Svea with 89 ships. The Dan Broström shipping companies were the largest as to gross tonnes (142174 gross tonnes and 40 ships).

This map shows the Swedish operated transocean regular shipping routes in 1920

Here are the newest ships in some of the Swedish shipping company fleets in 1920: 

Rederi AB Svea´s S/S Hjalmar Blomberg, launched in 1920 (2325 gross tonnes)

M/S Elmaren, Rederi A.B. Transatlantic (1920, 5808 gross tonnes)

S/S Lübeck was Hallands Ångbåts A.B´s newest ship, although not very new, as it was built already  in  1894

Svenska Ostasiatiska kompaniet´s newest ship was S/S Sumatra (1914, 5414  gross  tonnes)

Ångf. A.B. Nordsjön´s S/S Gustaf Adolf (1920, 1061 gross tonnes)

Rederi A.B. Teutonia´s S/S Teutonia (1904, 417 gross tonnes)

Ångfartygs A.B. Nornan´s S/S Gylfe (1914, 552 gross tonnes)

Ångbåts A.B. Bohuslänska kusten´s S/S Göteborg (1891, 416 gross tonnes)

Svenska Amerika-Mexikolinjen´s M/S Stureholm (1919,  4599 gross tonnes)

Förnyade Ångf. A.B. Götha´s S/S Orania (1919, 1873 gross tonnes)

Svenska Rederi A.B. Öresund´s S/S Hälsingborg (1912, 668 gross tonnes)

Rederi A.B. Svenska Lloyd´s S/S Hibernia (1920, 2500 gross tonnes)

(Source: Svensk Sjöfart, Aktiebolaget Hasse W Tullbergs förlag, Stockholm 1921)