House Flag of Indo-China Steam Navigation Company

The Indo-China Steam Navigation Company, Limited (ICSNC), was established in 1873 as a subsidiary of

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

–based Jardine, Matheson & Co., one of the largest

trading companies Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of credi ...

in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

at that time.

Early history

With the advent of steam power, Jardines became concerned that it might lose its former advantage in operating fast

clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were generally narrow for their len ...

s. As a result, the company became seriously involved in steamships in the mid-1850s, servicing the

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

–

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

trade. Regular services up and down the coast, with occasional diversions to Japan, were implemented around the same time. Jardines established the China Coast Steam Navigation Co. (CCSNC) in 1873, which operated between Chinese ports and Japan. ICSNC was floated on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

in 1881, with a capital of £449,800 The new company amalgamated the group's river, coastal and cargo interests, taking over CCSNC's coastal fleet and sending ships to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

and

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

. In 1885, a new service from Hong Kong to Manila began operating. British coastal steamer SS Kung Wo at Shanghai in the 1920s

In the early 20th century, more than half of all the ships on the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

were owned by ICSNC and their arch-rivals,

Butterfield and Swire Swire Group ( zh, t=太古集團) is a highly diversified global conglomerate with its parent company being John Swire & Sons Limited that holds controlling stakes in a range of businesses trading in the UK, USA, Australia, Papua New Guinea, ...

. British investment in the Yangtze Valley, including

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, had reached over £200,000,000 by the 1920s. This was almost equal to the amount invested in the whole of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

at that time, and significantly more than British investments in Africa. Trade flourished until the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the 1943 British–Chinese Treaty for the Relinquishment of Extra-Territorial Rights in China shut down the Yangtze River trade and routes between the Chinese coastal ports. In response, ICSNC diversified into the China—Australia trade.

Post–Second World War

Passenger voyages between the Far East, Straits and Bay of Bengal was abandoned at the end of 1955, and in the same year,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

became a port of call on the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

route. Between November 1960 and April 1961, ''Eastern Argosy'' and ''Eastern Star'' were plying the Hong Kong,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, Auckland route, returning via Melbourne and Sydney to Hong Kong. ''Eastern Glory'' and ''Eastern Trader'' operated between Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Later on, increased competition from Indian and Japanese companies reduced profitability and ICSNC, London was liquidated in 1974. ICSNC, Hong Kong moved into the bulk shipping business and also became involved in the Gearbulk container pool, as well as branching out into other industries.

Incidents

''Hip Sang''

''Hip Sang'', an ICSNC cargo steamship of 1,659 tons, was lost on 16 July 1904 when she was torpedoed by the Russian destroyer ''Rastoropny'' west of the Kwantung Peninsula at after refusing to stop en route from Newchang for

Chefoo Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao o ...

carrying provisions.

''Chak Sang''

On 21 January 1942, the ICSNC owned cargo and passenger steamship ''Chak Sang'' was intercepted by a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese submarine and sunk west of the

Gulf of Martaban The Gulf of Martaban () or the Gulf of Mottama is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Myanmar (Burma). The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama (formerly known as Martaban). The Sittaung, Salween and Yangon rivers empty in ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

. Five of her crew were killed during the attack.

''Eastern Saga''

One of the company's ships, the ''Eastern Saga'' arrived in

from the Far East on October 29, 1957 and was searched by Calcutta Customs Officers on 30 and 31 October and on 12 November, 1957. In the sailors' quarters, the officers found a hole in the wall panelling behind the back of a wooden seat which had been screwed to the wall. The hole was covered with a piece of wood and over-painted. When opened, the hiding place contained 1,458 bars of gold valued at more than Rs. 23 lacs (2.3 million

rupees Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...

. As illegal gold smuggling was in contravention of India's Sea Customs Act, the ship was liable to be confiscated, despite the gold having been smuggled on board by a crewman without the company's knowledge. ICSNC lost a subsequent court case and appeal and ended up paying 25 lacs (2.5 million rupees) in lieu of confiscation.

Gallery

File:ICSNCAd1923.jpg, Company advertisement, 1923

References

{{Reflist Shipping companies of Hong Kong Companies established in 1873 Defunct companies of Hong Kong Defunct shipping companies Jardines (company)