P&O began by operating mail, passenger and cargo services between the UK, Spain and Portugal, Egypt, India, Asia, and Australia.…
The Asiatic Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1878 and served Indian coastal trade between Calcutta and Bombay, and beyond as far as Malaysia and Indonesia. After a price war in the 1930s, it was eventually acquired by the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI).
Researching the Asiatic Steam Navigation Company
A small collection of archival records relating to the Asiatic Steam Navigation Company are on permanent loan to Royal Museums Greenwich. The material is limited to minute books, annual accounts, and a historical file on the settlement of the 1930s freight war. The collection can be found and searched in RMG’s online catalogue.
Before P&O
The Asiatic Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1878, under the auspices of the Liverpool merchant house Turner & Co and their Calcutta (now Kolkata) associates Turner Morrison & Company, to develop ‘steam communication’ in the Bay of Bengal. The new company received the active support of both Thomas H Ismay and William Imrie of White Star Line. Asiatic’s ships were cross traders serving the coastal trade between Calcutta and Bombay (now Mumbai), between Calcutta, Chittagong (now Chattogram), Rangoon (now Yangon) and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), and later between Calcutta and Java. Asiatic also acquired the Indian Government mail contract between Calcutta and the Andaman Islands, which included responsibility for the transport of convicts to the penal colony at Port Blair (now Sri Vijaya Puram).
Asiatic and the British India Steam Navigation Company were in direct competition on a number of routes but maintained a healthy dialogue over freight rate levels and sailings. The two companies even joined forces to acquire the Bombay & Persia Steam Navigation Company (later the Mogul Line, a leading carrier of Muslims on pilgrimage) in 1912.
In 1931 Asiatic was restructured initially in response to the world-wide slump in trade and later in 1934 in recognition of the growth of nationalism in both Burma (Myanmar) and India, which lead to the establishment of locally based companies in both countries. At the same time, Asiatic’s previously good relationship with BI broke down and a rate war ensued. The matter was resolved by a tripartite agreement between Asiatic, BI and Scindia (the Indian national line), but the eventual outcome was BI’s takeover of Asiatic.
The P&O years
BI acquired a controlling 63% interest in Asiatic in November 1934, rising to 74% in January 1935. At this time, the Ismay connection terminated, and both Asiatic and Mogul Line became part of the P&O Group. Mogul was sold to Indian interests in 1960, and BI acquired the remaining Asiatic shares in February 1961.
In October 1965, management of Asiatic’s ships passed to the P&O Group’s new tramp shipping management company Hain Nourse, and by 1971 Asiatic Steam was a dormant company, renamed P&O Bulk Shipping Ltd in 1977.
Selected bibliography
- Asiatic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, 1878–1963 by WA Laxon (1963)
