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The company was founded in 1825 as ship-brokers by two brothers, William
Thomson (1806–1889) and Alexander Thomson (1795–1880). Their sister Jemima married Thomas Henderson, an older brother of Patrick Henderson. Originally the Thomson brothers were "merchants and marble-cutters" and were involved in
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By 1977 The Ben Line Group employed over 2,000 shore-based and sea-going staff, and owned a fleet of four container ships, 13 cargo liners, three chemical tankers, six bulk carriers, and five rigs and drill ships. In addition, three oil tankers and one container carrier were managed on behalf of
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Following the sale of Ben Line's ships and rigs, emphasis was placed on the development of Ben Line
Agencies, which is owned by its key stakeholders, many of whom are managers of the company. Descendants of the original shareholders also retained a substantial interest in the company.
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Over the next decade the company built a portfolio of shipping services including a liner agency, port agency, project logistics, offshore support, international freight forwarding, port representation, tank containers & leasing and P&I club representation and surveying.
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to Canada and returning with timber to Leith, was a
Thomson staple business for years. Several sailing ships acquired in the 1840s were built in Canada. A ship purchased by the Edinburgh brothers and their cousins Captain Watson Thomson and Andrew Thomson in 1848 was the
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Between 1950 and 1972, Ben Line continued to develop its liner services between Europe and the Far East, operating fast, custom-built 'tween deck vessels. Ben Line pioneered a number of new trade routes, and became one of the leading liner companies in the trade.
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In 1973 The company's first three container ships, each with a capacity of 3,000 TEUs and a deadweight of 50,000 tons, were delivered. These ships operated within the 17 strong fleet of a three-nation consortium (the Trio Group) made up of Ben Line,
274:, a Singapore-based shipping agency, operating across Asia. As of 2013, the company had over 110 offices and 2,000 employees operating in four specific areas: port agency, liner agency, offshore support and project logistics services.
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In April 1919 The Ben Line
Steamers, Ltd was formed as a private company. Previously each ship voyage was a separate actuarial entity, with shareholders holding large or small numbers of 1/64 shares. A new trade was the carriage of
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in Fife and used on the Leith–Leghorn run. The marble business declined in the 1830s, and with Alloa cousins Capt Watson
Thomson with his nephew Andrew Thomson and William Mitchell, they acquired in 1840 for £3,500 the wooden ship
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Postwar the line concentrated on the Far East trade, with a base in
Singapore from 1951. In 1953 an underwater formation in the coasts off North Borneo was named "Benrinnes Reef" after the ship that discovered it.
263:, Scotland founded in 1825 which was primarily involved in the Far East to Europe trade. A private company, it was largely owned by members of the Thomson family from Leith and the Thomson and Mitchell family from
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In 1972 Ben Line Ship
Management Ltd was formed to offer a comprehensive range of ship management services to smaller owners, providing them with guidance from knowledge that Ben Line had gained over the years.
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In 1987 a strategic decision to start actively seeking outside shipping agency principals to complement the in-house core business activity of container liner shipping – Ben Line
Agencies was established.
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During World War II, 14 Ben Line ships and four ships placed under Ben Line management by the
Government were lost compared with only two in World War I. Ships managed by the Ben Line included two MAC or
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made history in 1984 as being the heaviest semi-submersible drilling rig (17,200 tons) to be transported on board a semi-submersible carrier, voyaging some 14,000 miles from New
Zealand to Spain.
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By 1914 Ben Line had 14 ships with names starting with "Ben", plus five Baltic steamers of The St Petersburg Steamers, Ltd. Two Ben Line ships were sunk by enemy action and
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During this period Ben Line Agencies operated from offices in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The main business activity was Liner Agency.
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other owners. Furthermore, through the purchase of another company, it owned seven other vessels and became Britain's biggest offshore drilling contractor.
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542:), an experienced operator. The joint company, which was called Ben Odeco, owned and operated semi-submersible rigs, jack-up rigs and drill ships.
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In 1974 The company diversified into offshore oil exploration by forming a partnership with an American firm, Ocean Drilling and Exploration Co (
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Ltd (OCL) all engaged in the Far East trade. The company also entered the bulk trades by purchasing both dry bulk vessels and chemical tankers.
384:. The Far Eastern ships sailed to China and Japan via a base in Singapore, including the China tea trade. Their first (brig-rigged) steamship,
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in 1825. She was used on the North Atlantic trade, carrying Alloa coal to Canada, and returning with timber to Leith, and was lost on
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Amazon. ISBN 9798854256063. (The Alloa Thomsons' early role in The Ben Line and detail on the 1850s Australian venture).
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The China bird: the history of Captain Killick, and the firm he founded, Killick Martin & Company
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In the 1850s, the earliest ship to use the 'Ben' prefix (the Scottish word for mountain) was the
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as well as cargo. In 1943 the company headquarters was moved from Leith to Edinburgh.
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agents for Ben Line Steamers in 1883, and within a few weeks loaded their first ship
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built nine ships for Ben Line, whose captains nicknamed them "North Country
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Liner Agency, Port Agency, Offshore Support, Project Logistics, Ship Broking
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purchasing nine larger sailing ships in the 1860s, including the iron ship
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In 1991 the remaining ships were sold, and the company combined with the
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The Petrograd Steamers, Ltd (for Baltic trade, wound up in 1941).
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Ben Line Agencies have 130 offices with 2300 employees in 2023.
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of Glasgow. No Ben Line ship was laid up during the depression.
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left Scotland in late 1852 for Australia, arriving in early 1853
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From 1970 to 1982 the line came under the Chairmanship of
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in 1841. But the North Atlantic trade, carrying coal from
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In 1991 all its ships were sold and the company became
706:(2nd rev. ed.). London: Conway Maritime Press.
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771:History of the Ben Line on the Ships List website
626:Sheaf Steam Shipping of Newcastle (acquired 1976)
620:Ben Ocean & Ben Asia Container Service (1975)
806:Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom
623:Ben Odeco (1974, offshore drilling partnership)
345:which would in 1852/1853 venture to Australia.
400:, were acquired in 1877 for the Baltic trade.
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388:of 1,557 tons gross was built in Glasgow at
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450:to European ports. New ships were built by
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259:was a Scottish shipping company based in
71:Learn how and when to remove this message
34:This article includes a list of general
816:Transport companies established in 1825
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791:British companies established in 1825
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7:
587:In 2011 it opened its 100th office.
392:Clydeholm shipyard. Two steamers,
372:) and the Far East (initially the
40:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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811:1825 establishments in Scotland
733:. Ships in Focus Publications.
572:Ben Line Agencies (1992 onward)
356:launched in Alloa in April 1853
246:Italy, Canada, Asia, the Baltic
796:Shipping companies of Scotland
617:Ben Line Containers Ltd (1970)
608:Elswick Steam Shipping Co. Ltd
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629:Atlantic Drilling Company Ltd
801:Companies based in Edinburgh
672:(obituaries), 5 January 2001
405:Killick Martin & Company
702:MacGregor, David R (1986).
605:E.G. Thomson (Shipping) Ltd
599:William Thomson and Company
452:Charles Connell and Company
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749:Sailing Upside Down Under.
695:Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd
611:Salmonier Shipping Co. Ltd
403:William Thomson appointed
320:of 388 tons, built on the
257:Ben Line Steamers, Limited
181:Ben Line Steamers, Limited
729:Somner, Graeme H (2010).
465:Merchant Aircraft Carrier
328:on the approaches to the
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479:. The MAC ships carried
747:Thomson, Blair (2023).
414:Between 1902 and 1914,
55:more precise citations.
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311:of 218 tons, built at
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290:and The Ben Line ship
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693:. London, Edinburgh:
438:disappeared in 1917.
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85:Ben Line Agencies Ltd
594:Associated Companies
566:East Asiatic Company
533:Overseas Containers
525:Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
411:in Antwerp.
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155:Number of employees
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476:Empire MacKendrick
416:Bartram & Sons
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338:Alloa Coal Company
330:St. Lawrence River
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531:Kaisha (NYK) and
446:from the port of
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602:Atlantis Air Ltd
504:Michael Strachan
481:Fairey Swordfish
470:Empire MacAlpine
334:William Mitchell
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546:1977 to 1991
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253:The Ben Line
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219:Headquarters
187:Company type
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126:Headquarters
102:Company type
84:
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39:
18:
521:Hapag-Lloyd
448:Vladivostok
242:Area served
137:Area served
53:introducing
780:Categories
713:0851773818
658:Blake 1956
634:References
444:soya beans
420:Sunderland
394:Petersburg
374:Araby Maid
299:importing
36:references
362:Bencleuch
354:Bencleuch
318:Australia
313:Limekilns
228:Edinburgh
130:Singapore
731:Ben Line
722:15024735
689:(1956).
555:Benreoch
484:biplanes
436:Benlarig
424:kerosene
398:Stirling
366:Wanderer
292:Wanderer
234:Scotland
198:Shipping
195:Industry
146:Services
110:Industry
61:May 2012
527:(MOL),
467:ships,
426:cans".
409:Benarty
386:Benledi
309:Carrara
278:History
226:, then
211:Defunct
203:Founded
190:Private
164:Website
118:Founded
105:Private
49:improve
737:
720:
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370:Signet
343:Signet
288:Signet
38:, but
786:Leith
540:ODECO
303:from
265:Alloa
261:Leith
224:Leith
214:c1991
159:2,000
735:ISBN
718:OCLC
708:ISBN
473:and
396:and
368:and
352:The
322:Tyne
286:The
206:1825
171:.com
141:Asia
418:of
336:’s
255:or
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