Coll 1/37 'Aden. Changes in civil administration in the event of separation from India: local bodies; Aden Port Trust and Settlement' [‎8r] (15/18)

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XIV.— Poet Administeation.
The Port of Aden which affords safe accommodation for vessels upto 33
feet in draught, is administered by a Board of Trustees constituted under the
Aden Port Trust Act V of 1888. The Board is at present composed of four
officials, including the Chairman, who is an officer of the Bombay Public Works
Department and is also Chairman of the Aden Settlement and seven non-
officials. The Trustees are appointed by Government for a period of 2 years.
Vacancies during this period are filled by the Resident.
The work of deepening and extending the Harbour and Approach Channel
which was commenced on the 27th December 1928 w as completed on the 24tl’
December 1930 at a cost of Rs. 35,57,986. The minimum depth of water at
low tide now available in the Approach Channel and Inner Mooring Basin
except the 4 deep w r ater berths, is 32' 6" ; there are four oil berths connected
to the land installation by submarine pipe lines, tw o of which berths have been
dredged to a minimum depth of 35 feet at L. W. ; there are tw r o other berths
dredged to a similar depth available for the supply of bunker coal and for
general purposes.
The Port Trust maintain a Pilot service consisting of one Harbour Master
and five pilots.
The Aden Port Trust publish a separate administration report.
Mercantile Marine matters in Aden are now the concern of the Government
of India who administer them through the Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine
Department, Aden District. This officer is appointed from the Royal Indian
Marine, and is also the Superintendent of Lighthouses for the district of Aden.
XVI.— Shipping.
Thenumber of vessels that entered the port of Aden during 1931-32 was
1,587 with an aggregate tonnage of 6,019,463 as compared with 1,664 vessels
aggregating 5,999,242 tons in the previous year.
Appendix XXV shows the number of vessels that called at the port
during the last ten years for (1) cargo and (2) for bunkers only. It will be seen
that there has been an increase under (1) from 687 vessels in 1922-23 to 1,109
vessels in 1931-32 and under (2) from 199 in 1922-23 to 272 in 1931-32.
During recent years Aden has developed rapidly as an oil bunkering port
This is due mainly to its favourable geographical position, as ic is nearer to the
Persian oil fields than any other port on the main shipping route between
Europe and the East; and also to the policy of the Aden Port Trust, which
has aimed at giving ample facilities for oil fueling, wnile keeping the charges
on this business as low as possible.
298 steamers entered the Port of Perim during the year of which 214
called for coal and fuel oil and 84 for vaxinmi ntEpr^mirnnsPs.