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The Ben Line Steamers Limited

The Ben Line Steamers Limited had a long association with Singapore. For more than 140 years, its ships, bearing names prefixed by Ben, had plied the Europe-Far East route calling at Singapore to load and unload cargoes of various descriptions. However, containerization and competition led to Ben Line selling off its shipping operations and concentrating on the shipping agency business today.

History
The Edinburgh-based Ben Line Steamers Limited was formed in 1919. However, prior to this date, the Ben Line was owned and managed by Wm. Thomson and Company that was formed much earlier in 1847. Wm. Thomson first established shipping links with Singapore in 1859 when the sailing ship Araby Maid on its maiden voyage to the Far East called at Singapore to unload and load cargo before proceeding to China and Japan

In the 1950s, the Ben Line started to establish offices in the region to manage and develop its liner services between Europe and the Far East.  In Singapore, a Ben Line Dock office, operated by a resident representative and a cargo superintendent, was set up in 1951.  Paterson, Simons & Co Limited was its principal Far Eastern agent. On 1 August 1955, a Ben Line office was firmly established on the island. Offices were also opened in Malaya, Hong Kong and Thailand 

In the early 1970s, Ben Line Containers Ltd was formed signaling Ben Line's entry into container shipping. In 1987, Ben Line Agencies (BLA) was established to complement the Ben Line's core business activity, and it subsequently became a key contributor to the group's business.  In 1990, Ben Line entered into a cooperative arrangement with the East Asiatic Company of Copenhagen in the Europe-Far East trade, resulting in the formation of EacBen Container Line. In 1992, the Ben Line sold its shipping operation to EAC, thus ending more than 150 years of ship ownership. Today, Ben Line's business is focused on shipping agency operations through BLA.

Nature of Business
Ben Line's main interests were in the Far East. From the 1860s till World War II, trading followed a regular pattern. The ships carried general cargoes from London to the Far East in their outbound journey. This was followed by local trading among the ports along the route until sufficient suitable cargoes, usually rubber and spices from Malaya and Singapore, rice and timber from Thailand, hemp and copra products from the Philippines, and tea from Colombo had been loaded for the ships' return journey.

After World War II, as countries along the route such as Japan, started to industrialise, industrial products were added to the shipments to Europe. From Singapore, Ben Line's ships continued to transport cargo such as timber, sago, flour, pepper, spices and rubber. In 1951, it started a coaster service between Singapore and Bangkok to transport rice, jute, and sometimes even elephants. In the late 1950s, a fast direct service was also introduced between London and Singapore.  

Container shipping gained prominence in Singapore in the early 1970s, and Ben Line's first container ship, City of Edinburgh, arrived in August 1972.  By the late 1970s, Ben Line's Singapore office had become the hub of its operations in South East Asia. However, its operations in the Far East were overseen by its Hong Kong office. In the late 1980s, it entered into the shipping agency business which is its main activity today, after it ended its shipping operations in 1993.   



Author
Joshua Chia Yeong Jia & Chan Fook Weng



References
Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. (1979).  From early days (pp. 173-176).  Singapore: The Chamber.  
(Call no.: RSING 380.10655957SIN)

Maersk deploys new ships. (1993, May 1). Lloyd's List International.  Retrieved June 13, 2007, from Factiva database. 

Until it sold its ships Ben Line achieved more than a century and half of ownership. (2000, June 30).  Lloyd's List International.  Retrieved June 13, 2007 from Factiva database. 

Ben Line (1966). Short history of the Ben Line. Retrieved June 13, 2007, from http://www.ben-line.org.uk (then click on Company History > Short Ben Line History (Company booklet).

Ben Line Agencies. (2000).  About us.  Retrieved June, 13, 2007, from http://www.benlineagencies.com (then click on About Ben Line)



Further Readings
Blake, G. (1956). The Ben Line: The history of Wm. Thomson & Co. of Leith and Edinburgh, and of the ships owned and managed by them, 1825-1955. London, New York: T. Nelson. 
(Call no.: RCLOS 387.5 BLA)



The information in this article is valid as at 2007 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject.  Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic. 

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Transportation
Shipping companies (Marine transportation)--Singapore
The Ben Line Steamers Limited
Law and government>>Safety administration>>Marine transportation



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