Koninklijke Java-China-Paketvaart Lijnen

The Dutch shipping company Koninklijke Java-China Paketvaart Lijnen (KJCPL), headquartered in Amsterdam, existed from 1902 to 1977.

history

prehistory

In the years 1850 to 1865 the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies initially awarded the first contracts for state-supported mail steamer lines between the individual islands (Pakketvaart) to local shipping companies. From 1866 to 1890 this service was the responsibility of the Nederlandsch-Indische Stoomvaart Maatschappij (NISM), a subsidiary of the British India Steam Navigation Company . After the opening of the Suez Canal, new Dutch mail steamers to the Dutch East Indies established the Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Nederland" (SMN) in 1870 and the Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd (RL) from 1883 . In 1888, at the insistence of the Dutch government, a separate line for mail steamer connections between the islands, the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM), was founded.

founding

Around 1900 the Dutch consul in Shanghai suggested the establishment of a steamship line from Java via East Asia to North America. The KPM was not allowed by the government to expand its line to Japan and China, as its mail steamer contract only covered the connection between the motherland and the Dutch East Indies and the actual island service. Therefore, the Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Nederland", the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij , KNSM and the Rotterdamsche Lloyd, again with government support, founded a liner service from Java to China and Japan in 1902, the Java-China-Japan Lijn (JCJL). Three cargo steamers with passenger facilities were newly built, the first of which, the Tjipanas , was put into service in August 1902. In 1907 the line to China and Japan was divided into a separate line to China and a second to Japan. The JCJL specialized in particular in the transport of coolies and between deck passengers between the Dutch East Indies and China. The Tjibodas , built in 1906 , for example, had two seats in the first class, 18 in the second, 84 in the third class, but 1584 between decks. With the Tjitaroem , another liner service began in 1911, the Java Hong Kong Lijn.

First World War

At the beginning of the First World War, the JCJL had nine ships. Since the Netherlands was neutral, the SMN and the RL founded the Java Pacific Line in 1915 to take up a monthly liner service from the west coast of North America. The line developed into an economic success. The influence of the war on the operation of the JCJL in the Far East service was relatively small. German competitors disappeared as a result of the war, only the Japanese shipping companies Nanyo Yusen Kaisha and Osaka Shosen Kaisha started a new connection from Japan to Celebes (North Sulawesi ). Only the steamers Tjikembang and Tjsondari were temporarily confiscated by the US government, the Tjibodas and Tjitaroem by the British government on the basis of Angaria law .

Crisis years

In 1920 the shipping companies Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN), Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (KNSM), Java, China, Japan Lijn (JCJL), Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM), Holland America Line (HAL), Rotterdam Lloyd (RL), Van Nievelt, Goudriaan & Co.'s Stoomvaart Maatschappij (Nigoco) and Stoomvaart Maatschappij “De Maas” (Van Ommeren) jointly form the Vereenigde Nederlandsche Scheepvaartmaatschappij (VNS), in which the JCJL contributed two ships in addition to a capital share. As early as 1922, the JCJL pulled both ships out of the new company against the backdrop of the economic depression, as they only made losses in the VNS. The Java Pacific Lijn was also temporarily closed in 1923 and reopened in 1927 without the JCJL. After the New York stock market crash of 1929, a global economic crisis set in and the JCJL made losses for years. A number of ships were sold for demolition and several lines were suspended. In 1932 the shipping company still owned 13 ships with a volume of 105,000 gross tons.

Second World War

From 1936 the freight and passenger business increased again, whereupon the shipping company ordered the motorized passenger ship Tjitalengka from the Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Maatschappij in Amsterdam in 1937 , which was delivered in 1939. In the same year, the JCJL ordered the tjikini , but this was never completed due to the outbreak of war in September 1939 and the occupation of Holland in May 1940. In contrast to the occupied motherland, the Dutch colonies in the Far East were still free. Therefore, some ships could be chartered to the British Ministry of War Transport . The JCJL later took over some government-owned ships as well as two Victory ships built in 1945 , the Kokomo Victory and Hillsdale Victory of the United States.

Post-war years

In 1947 the liner services of the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij and the JCJL were merged between Holland and the colonies and the majority of the KPM ships were transferred to the JCJL or used in some other way. On December 10, 1947, the shipping company was given permission to use the title "Koninklijke" (Royal), after which it operated as Koninklijke Java-China-Paketvaart Lijnen (KJCPL), internationally also Royal Interocean Lines , on January 1, 1948 . After Indonesia's independence in 1949, the cargo volume from this region decreased. The KPM ships Boissevain , Ruys and Tegelberg were used from 1948 on the Asia-Africa-South America line that Nieuw Holland used between Australia and New Zealand. Also in 1948 some newbuildings began to be ordered, the Tjiwangi and Tjiluwah as well as the two combi ships Straat Makassar and Straat Banka . From December 6, 1957, the Indonesian government no longer allowed Dutch passenger liner services. The shipping company used its last passenger ships there in the global cruise business. From 1960 onwards, the remaining Indonesian services under the Dutch flag were also terminated.

Mergers

In 1966 the decision was made to formally merge KPM, the subsidiaries Hollandse Vrachtvaart Maatschappij (HVM) and Nederlandse Tanken Paketvaart Maatschappij (NTPM) with the KJCPL, which became legally effective on January 1, 1967. Together, the new company had 77 ships with a volume of 520,620 GRT. In the course of 1968 the passenger ships Boissevain , Tjitjalengka , Ruys and Tegelberg were sold to demolition yards in Kaohsiung and Hong Kong and from then on only new cargo ships were built. In order to be able to use surplus ships more economically, the Mercury Shipping Company was founded in Hong Kong, which continues to operate a number of ships under Liberia or Panama flags. A joint venture called Safocean Pty was started with the South African Marine Corporation , which was followed in 1974 by the establishment of Jupiter Lines Pty, based in Durban, to prevent flag discrimination. In 1973/74 the last passenger ships, the Tjiwangi, were sold to Pacific International Lines and New Holland , which was only taken over in 1971 , was sold to the China Ocean Shipping Company in 1974 .

Due to the increasing containerization of sea traffic and the associated capital requirements, the shipping company was forced to cooperate further. Together with the shipping company Vereenigde Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Maatschappij (VNS), the Koninklijke Java-China Paketvaart Lijnen joined the Nedlloyd Lijnen community service in 1969 . On January 20 of the following year, all four operating companies merged to form the Nederlandse Scheepvaart Unie .

From 1975 all liner services were grouped under the name Nedlloyd and on May 1, 1977 the Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Unie was converted to the Koninklijke Nedlloyd Groep. The KJCPL or RIL disappeared as a name.

literature

Wilke, J. Th .; Halfweg, S. (Ed.): Neerlands Scheepsbouw en Scheepvaart . Deel II - Scheepvaart. Uitgevers Wyt, Rotterdam 1946.
Moojen, Wilhelm H. (Ed.): Nederlandse Koopvaardij in beeld . 1960-1969 (I). 1st edition. Lanasta, Emmen 2006, ISBN 90-8616-007-7 .