Steam Navigation Companies became widespread during the 19th century after the development of steam-powered vessels, both

steamboats A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

, which were generally used on lakes and rivers, and ocean-faring steamships. Companies that share the name ''Steam Navigation Company'' include the following, listed by their country of ownership.

Australia

* Australasian Steam Navigation Company (1839–1887) *

Australian United Steam Navigation Company The Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSNC) was an Australian shipping company formed in 1887 by the merger of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company and the Queensland Steam Shipping Company and their fleets. It existed from ...

(1887–1961), formed by the merger of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company and the Queensland Steam Shipping Company * Clarence, Richmond & Macleay River Steam Navigation Company, 1888 name of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company * Grafton Steam Navigation Company, 1855 name of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company * Hunter River Steam Navigation Company, 1839 name of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company * Illawarra Steam Navigation Company (1858–early 1950s), south coast of New South Wales * Launceston & Melbourne Steam Navigation Company, taken over by the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company in 1865 * North Coast Steam Navigation Company (1855–1954) *

River Murray Steam Navigation Company Francis William Cadell (9 February 1822 – 1879) was a European explorer of Australia, most remembered for opening the Murray River up for transport by steamship and for his activities as a slave trader. Early life Cadell was born in Cocke ...

(charter received in 1854) * Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company (1853–1922), between Tasmania, the Australian Mainland, and New Zealand

India

* Bombay Coast and River Steam Navigation Company ( 1860s), between Bombay and other Indian ports *

Bombay Steam Navigation Company Bombay Steam Navigation Company was the first Indian-owned shipping company. It was founded by Ismail Hasham, a Kutchi Memon Kutchi Memons ( gu, કચ્છી મેમોન, ur, کچھی میمن), also spelled as Cutchi Memons, are an ...

(late 19th century–1952), passenger ferry and cargo services along the Konkan coast of India; amalgamated with Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. *

Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. The Scindia Steam Navigation Company, founded in 1919, is the second oldest shipping company of India. The first being the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company of VOC Pillai in today's Tamilnadu that was founded in 1906. History Foundation and ...

(founded in 1919), ceased shipping in 1997 *

Shri Ambica Steam Navigation Company Shri Ambica Steam Navigation Company was an Indian owned navigation company having its head office at Dadabhai Naoraji Road at Bombay. It was started in 1942 by Bombay based Gujarati businessmen and founder directors were Ratanji Mulji, Mathur ...

(1942–before 1980), western coast of India *

Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company The Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC) was one of the first indigenous Indian shipping companies set up during the Indian independence movement. It was started in 1906 by V. O. Chidambaram Pillai to compete against the monopoly of the Brit ...

(founded in 1906), between Tuticorin and Colombo

United Kingdom

* Atlantic Steam Navigation Company (1934–1971), roll-on roll-off ferry service * Barrow Steam Navigation Company, acquired by the Midland Railway in 1907 * Bristol General Steam Navigation Company (1821–1980), between Bristol and ports in southern Ireland *

British India Steam Navigation Company British India Steam Navigation Company ("BI") was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. History The ''Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company'' had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading partn ...

(1862–1972), one of the largest shipowners of all time with; more than 500 ships; absorbed into P&O * Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company (1856–1862), began as a mail carrier between Calcutta, India, and

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

, Burma; renamed British-India Steam Navigation Company * Castletown Steam Navigation Company (1854–1858), between Isle of Man and England * Eastern Steam Navigation Company (1851– 1858) * General Steam Navigation Company (GSNC) (1824–1872), specialized in

short sea shipping The modern terms short-sea shipping (sometimes unhyphenated), marine highway, and motorways of the sea, and the more historical terms coastal trade, coastal shipping, coasting trade, and coastwise trade, all encompass the movement of cargo and pas ...

; acquired by P&O * Indo-China Steam Navigation Company Ltd. (ICSNC) (1873–1974), established as a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based

Jardine Jardine is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Al Jardine (born 1942), member of the Beach Boys * Alexander Jardine (Medal of Honor) (1874–1949), American Medal of Honor recipient * Antonio Jardine (born 1988), NCAA college bas ...

* Neptune Steam Navigation Company, see SS ''Trondhjemsfjord'' * North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company or The North Company (founded in 1875), part of NorthLink Ferries * North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company (1843–1870), between Fleetwood and, principally, Belfast, Northern Ireland * Orient Steam Navigation Company or Orient Line (1878–1966), absorbed into P&O * Pacific Steam Navigation Company (1838– 1965), operated on the Pacific coast of South America * Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) (founded 1822), originally service between London, Spain and Portugal * White Star Line or Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (1845–1934), merged with

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...

Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company The Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company provided shipping services between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from 1858 to 1872. Company The company was founded in 1858 by John Banfield, Thomas Johns Buxton, William Mumford Hoskin and James Phi ...

(1858–1872), between Cornwall and the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

* Ullswater Steam Navigation Company (founded 1855), passenger transportation on Ullswater, English Lake District

United States

* British and American Steam Navigation Company (1839–1841), London-New York service * California Steam Navigation Company (1854–1871), transporta along the coast and inland waters of California, Oregon, and British Columbia * Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company (1883–1947), passenger and cargo service between the Hawaiian Islands * Ocean Steam Navigation Company (1847–1857), oceanic mail transportation for the U.S. government * Oregon Steam Navigation Company (founded 1860), transport between San Francisco and ports along the Columbia River * Colorado Steam Navigation Company (1867—1877), transport on the Colorado River, sold to the Southern Pacific Company * Willamette Steam Navigation Company (1865–1866), transport on the Willamette River

Other countries

* China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company (founded 1872) * General Steam Navigation Company of Greece (1939–1975), passenger ship line *

Russian Steam Navigation and Trading Company The Russian Steam Navigation and Trading Company (russian: Русское общество пароходства и торговли or ROPiT russian: РОПиТ, also referred as Russian S.N.Co.) of Odessa was one of the biggest joint stock ste ...

(1856–1918) {{set index, type=company