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The Ben Line or Ben Line Steamers, Limited was a Scottish shipping company based in
Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
, 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
Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; , possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where some say it ceases to ...
. In 1991 all its ships were sold and the company became Ben Line Agencies, 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.


History

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 importing
Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...
from
Leghorn, Italy Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
, with help from Thomas Henderson. Their first ship in 1839 was the barque ''Carrara'' of 218 tons, built at
Limekilns Limekilns is a historic coastal village in Fife, Scotland. It lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth, around south of Dunfermline and 13 miles (21km) northwest of Edinburgh. Limekilns has a medieval past as a fishing village, dating back t ...
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 ''Australia'' of 388 tons, built on the Tyne 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
Sable Island Sable Island (, literally "island of sand") is a small, remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Sable Island is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, about southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, and about southeast of the clo ...
on the approaches to the
St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
in 1841. But the North Atlantic trade, carrying coal from William Mitchell’s Alloa Coal Company 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 ''Signet'' which would in 1852/1853 venture to Australia. In the 1850s, the earliest ship to use the 'Ben' prefix (the Scottish word for mountain) was the ''Bencleuch'', launched in 1853. The Thomsons and Mitchells moved into longer and more profitable routes to Australia (the ''Wanderer'' and ''Signet'') and the Far East (initially the ''Araby Maid'' 1)'','' purchasing nine larger sailing ships in the 1860s, including the iron ship ''James Wishart''. The Far Eastern ships sailed to China and Japan via a base in Singapore, including the China tea trade. Their first (brig-rigged) steamship, ''Benledi'' of 1,557 tons gross was built in Glasgow at Barclay Curle Clydeholm shipyard. Two steamers, ''Petersburg'' and ''Stirling'', were acquired in 1877 for the Baltic trade. William Thomson appointed
Killick Martin & Company Killick Martin and Company Ltd is a privately owned global transport and logistics company with its head office in the United Kingdom. The company can trace its origins back to 1861 when it was founded by James Killick, Captain James Killick a ...
agents for Ben Line Steamers in 1883, and within a few weeks loaded their first ship ''Benarty'' in Antwerp.   Between 1902 and 1914, Bartram & Sons of
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
built nine ships for Ben Line, whose captains nicknamed them "North Country
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
cans".


1914 to 1919

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 ''Benlarig'' disappeared in 1917. 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 soya beans from the port of
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 ...
to European ports. New ships were built by
Charles Connell and Company Charles Connell and Company was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Scotstoun in Glasgow on the River Clyde. History The company was founded by Charles Connell (1822–1894), who had served an apprenticeship with Robert Steele & Company ...
of Glasgow. No Ben Line ship was laid up during the depression.


World War II

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
Merchant Aircraft Carrier A merchant aircraft carrier (also known as a MAC ship, the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's official 'short name') was a limited-purpose aircraft carrier operated under British and Dutch civilian registry during World War II. MAC ships ...
ships, '' Empire MacAlpine'' and ''
Empire MacKendrick MV ''Empire MacKendrick'' was a Merchant Aircraft Carrier or MAC ship converted to become a grain ship. The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company Ltd, Fife, Scotland, built her under order from the Ministry of War Transport and was delivered on ...
''. The MAC ships carried
Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a retired biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was a ...
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
s as well as cargo. In 1943 the company headquarters was moved from Leith to Edinburgh.


1950 to 1972

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. 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. From 1970 to 1982 the line came under the Chairmanship of Michael Strachan.''The Telegraph'' (obituaries), 5 January 2001 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.


1973 to 1974

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,
Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd AG is a German international shipping and container transportation company, the 5th biggest in the world. It was formed in 1970 through a merger of Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG) and Norddeutscher Lloyd. History The company was forme ...
, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL),
Nippon Yusen The , also known as NYK Line, is a Japanese shipping company. The company headquarters are located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It operates a fleet of over 820 ships, which includes container ships, Tanker (ship), tankers, bulk and woodchip carrie ...
Kaisha (NYK) and Overseas Containers 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. In 1974 The company diversified into offshore oil exploration by forming a partnership with an American firm, Ocean Drilling and Exploration Co ( ODECO), an experienced operator. The joint company, which was called Ben Odeco, owned and operated semi-submersible rigs, jack-up rigs and drill ships.


1977 to 1991

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 other owners. Furthermore, through the purchase of another company, it owned seven other vessels and became Britain's biggest offshore drilling contractor. ''Benreoch'' 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. 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. In 1991 the remaining ships were sold, and the company combined with the
East Asiatic Company The EAC Invest A/S, formerly known as the Santa Fe Group and East Asiatic Company ( or ''ØK'') is a multinational holding and investment company, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally founded by Hans Niels Andersen in 1887. It owned 5 subsid ...
of Copenhagen.


Ben Line Agencies (1992 onward)

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. During this period Ben Line Agencies operated from offices in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The main business activity was Liner Agency. 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. In 2011 it opened its 100th office. Ben Line Agencies have 130 offices with 2300 employees in 2023.


Associated Companies

*William Thomson and Company *Atlantis Air Ltd *E.G. Thomson (Shipping) Ltd *Elswick Steam Shipping Co. Ltd *Salmonier Shipping Co. Ltd *The Petrograd Steamers, Ltd (for Baltic trade, wound up in 1941). *Ben Line Containers Ltd (1970) *Ben Ocean & Ben Asia Container Service (1975) *Ben Odeco (1974, offshore drilling partnership) *Sheaf Steam Shipping of Newcastle (acquired 1976) *Atlantic Drilling Company Ltd


References


Bibliography

* * * *Thomson, Blair (2023). ''Sailing Upside Down Under.'' Amazon. ISBN 9798854256063. (The Alloa Thomsons' early role in The Ben Line and detail on the 1850s Australian venture).


External links

*
History of the Ben Line on the Ships List website
{{Authority control Leith British companies established in 1825 Shipping companies of Scotland Companies based in Edinburgh Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom 1825 establishments in Scotland Transport companies established in 1825