Palm line

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Palm line

logo
legal form Ltd.
founding 1929
resolution 1986
Reason for dissolution Takeover by Ocean Transport and Trading PLC
Seat Liverpool , UK
Branch Shipping company

The British shipping company Palm Line , based in London, existed from 1929 to 1986. The home port of the shipping fleet was Liverpool .

history

Background and foundation

The founding of the Palm Line goes back to William Lever. His Lever Brothers group introduced palm oil for soap production and aimed for independent trading and transport of raw materials from West Africa. In 1910, Lever first bought the existing trading company WB MacIvor in Liverpool, which two years later was merged with the Peter Radcliffe and Company and the Cavalla River Company, which were also taken over. In 1916 Lever took over the H. Watson and Company from Manchester with eight ships, which was continued as the newly founded Bromport Steamship Company. Four of the ships were sunk in the First World War. In 1920 Lever acquired the Niger Company , which was active in the West African trade , whereupon the four remaining ships of the Bromport Steamship Company were sold to the Royal Mail Lines in 1923 .

The Gambia Palm, built in Germany in 1937

From 1928 the Niger Company had its own ships. The following year, Lever took over the Dutch margarine Unie and merged with the African & Eastern Trade Corporation, which also operated its own ships, and the United Africa Company (UAC).

Since Unilever had large fortunes in Germany and could no longer transfer them to Great Britain after Hitler came to power , they commissioned eight new builds of cargo ships from German shipyards in 1934 . The general cargo ships with the names Guinean , Liberian , Nigerian , Leonian , Ethiopian , Gambian and Takoradian as well as the tanker Congonian were delivered to the UAC by 1937. During the Second World War, the United Africa Company lost a total of nine of its 16 ships owned at the beginning of the war - three new ships were added during the war. The two ships Gambian and Takoradian arrived on July 5, 1940, a few days after the defeat of France, to take over the bunker in Dakar, where the Vichy regime confiscated the two ships. Both ships survived the remainder of the war and were later returned to the UAC.

Years of growth

The Bamenda Palm, built in 1956

On February 16, 1949 it was decided to change the name, whereupon the shipping company operated under the name Palm Line. From 1950 to 1960 the shipping company doubled the trading volume of its fleet, but also had to accept the increased incidence of state-subsidized competitors. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 1960s, the shipping company relied on increasing trading volumes and ordered the four new ships Lagos Palm , Makeni Palm , Ikeja Palm and Ilesha Palm from Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson in Newcastle , which were put into service in 1961/62. The ship quartet served the shipping company for around 20 years. With the newbuildings, the Palm Line had the most modern merchant fleet in the shipping area from Morocco to Angola in the early 1960s . In addition, the shipping company took over the ships of the German oil trading and transport company in 1960 .

First setbacks

The Ilesha Palm, built in 1961

However, there were no more new buildings in the 1960s due to the political unrest and the shrinking export market in West Africa. From 1962 the problems of the Palm Line and the other British conference shipping companies began to get out of hand, as West African states transported a growing proportion of the overall shrinking cargo volumes with their own shipping companies, such as Ghana's Black Star Line or the Nigerian Nigerian National Shipping Line . The Palm Line then began to reduce its own fleet. The vegetable oil tanker Matadi Palm was decommissioned and cast off on April 11, 1963 from Liverpool on the last trip to the demolition yard in Burriana, Spain. The following year, the Oguta Palm was sold to Skaramanga Shipping from Greece, where it operated as Heraclitos until it was demolished in 1973 in Split .

In 1965, John Holt reacted tougher, who sold the entire Guinea Gulf Line to Elder Dempster in response to the crisis . In 1966, the Palm Line sold three more ships, Lokoja Palm , Niger Palm and Sapele Palm , in 1967 the Burutu Palm and the tanker Makeni Palm were sold, after which the shipping company only had the tanker Makurdi Palm , which was finally sold in 1969.

Again new buildings

In 1970, the Swan, Hunter Shipbuilders shipyard in Haverton Hill delivered the 8870 GRT Matadi Palm, the first newbuild in almost ten years. It was taken over in 1985 by the United African Conference International and continued to operate as Matadi . Due to the steadily decreasing cargo share of the Palm Line, it sold the four ships Africa Palm , Akassa Palm , Badgary Palm and Bamenda Palm in 1972 , whereupon the number of the Palm Line fleet had decreased to twelve ships, half of 1962.

Containerization

The Apapa Palm , 1985 in Antwerp

In the course of containerization, which also began in Africa, Palm Line chartered the Norwegian container ship Joruna in 1974 and used it successfully as the Africa Palm . Thereupon Palm Line sold the Andoni Palm to Greece and replaced it with the Hasselburg of the shipping company Kurt Sieh & Co. from Hamburg, which was chartered as Apapa Palm from Germany . In 1977 the Palm Line sold its Elmina Palm and replaced the Hasselburg with its own Apapa Palm , built as a Schauenburg in Poland in 1973 , which it had bought second-hand from the shipping company Sieh & Co.

In 1978 the Enugu Palm , Katsina Palm and Ibadan Palm were sold and in 1979 the two new multi-purpose ships Bamenda Palm and Badagry Palm were put into service. The Bamenda Palm was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, while the 12,279 GRT Badagry Palm was built by Sunderland Shipbuilders in North Sands, Great Britain. After their commissioning, the shipping company sold the four ships Kano Palm , Lobito Palm , Ilorin Palm and Ilesha Palm against the background of their further decreasing cargo share , which reduced the fleet to seven units.

The last few years

The Bamenda Palm 1985 in the shipyard of the Middle Docks & Engineering Company

In 1982 two more multi-purpose ships, the 15,575 GRT Lagos Palm and Lokoja Palm , were put into service. To compensate, the two old units Lagos Palm and Ikeja Palm were given up. As the volume of trade continued to decline, the Palm Line withdrew another four West African ships in 1984. The Africa Palm was sold and the Bamenda Palm , Lagos Palm and Lokoja Palm were chartered out to Lloyd Brasileiro . The following year, the United Africa Company and Unilever decided that operating their own shipping line was no longer worthwhile and sold the Palm Line in 1985 with its conference rights to Ocean Transport and Trading PLC in Liverpool. This already operated the Elder Dempster and Guinea Gulf Line. The UAC kept the remaining ships, but sold the Apapa Palm to Venezuela that same year. In the last year of operation of the United Africa Company, 1986, the company sold the last five ships and ceased operations. The name of the Palm Line remained in the British register until 1989, when the associated naming and trading rights, together with those of the Elder Dempster and Guinea Gulf Line, were sold to the French shipping company Delmas Vieljeux , but were not continued there.

flag

Palm Line office flag

Palm Line was the largest shipping subsidiary of the palm oil processing group Lever Brothers. Its in-house magazine Progress held a competition to find a shipping company flag in the 1930s, the winning entry of which served as the basis for creating the shipping company's office flag.

The ships

Palm Line ships
Building name Shipyard /
construction number		 IMO number delivery Client Later names and whereabouts
Ethiopian Deschimag Seebeck, Bremerhaven / 896 no March 1936 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Benin Palm , 1959 Faneromeni , canceled from May 30, 1961 in Izumi-Ohtsu
Leonian Deschimag Seebeck, Bremerhaven / 898 no April 1936 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Mendi Palm , 1959 Rio Yape , 1960 Lobito , scrapped in Vado Ligure from July 7, 1967
Guinean Howaldtswerke, Hamburg / - no 1936 UAC, London Joined Palm Line as Kano Palm in 1949 , St George in 1954 , Susanne Eureka in 1964 , Mok Tat in 1966 , canceled in Kaohsiung on November 10, 1967
Liberian Howaldtswerke, Hamburg / 739 no 1936 UAC, London 1949 at Palm Line as Volta Palm , 1954 Hermes , 1958 Noemi , canceled December 1960 in Yokosuka
Gambian Deschimag Seebeck, Wesermünde / 571 no 1937 UAC, London Confiscated by the Vichy government in Dakar on July 5, 1940, St. Gabriel in 1941 , in 1943 to Ministry of War Transport Empire Tweed , 1946 Gambian , 1949 to Palm Line as Gambian Palm , 1959 Irini's Blessing , scrapped in Hong Kong from July 1963
Takoradian Deschimag Seebeck, Wesermünde / 572 no 1937 UAC, London Confiscated by the Vichy government in Dakar on July 5, 1940, St. Paul in 1941 , to Ministry of War Transport Empire Swale in 1943 , Takoradian in 1946 , to Palm Line as Takoradi Palm in 1949 , Irini's Luck in 1959 , scrapped in Santander from June 1963
Conakrian Furness Shipbuilding Company, Haverton Hill / - no November 1937 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Dahomey Palm , 1959 Southern Mariner , broken off from September 24, 1968 in Hong Kong
Congonian Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / 1078 no May 1942 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Opobo Palm , 1961 Winwar , scrapped in Hong Kong from June 1963
Kumasian Furness Shipbuilding Company, Haverton Hill / 351 no March 1943 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Kumasi Palm , 1960 Flower , arrived on April 5, 1968 for scrapping in La Spezia
Lafian Furness Shipbuilders, Haverton Hill / 352 no 1943 UAC, London In 1949 on Palm Line as Oguta Palm , 1060 Aristotle , on a trip from Detroit to Calcutta on December 16, 1962, sank about 600 nautical miles from Funchal after water ingress
Empire Bardsey Shipbuilders Corporation, Newcastle / - no July 1947 Ministry of War Transport, London Completed in 1949 as Ashantian for the UAC, in 1949 on Palm Line as Ashanti Palm , in 1962 total loss after grounding in Naples
Empire Ronaldsey Shipbuilders Corporation, Southwick / 11 5261271 1947 Ministry of War Transport, London Completed in 1947 as Lagosian for the UAC, in 1949 on Palm Line as Lagos Palm , 1960 Oguta Palm , 1964 Heraclitos , 1969 Herodemos , canceled from April 1973 in Split
Empire Stroma Shipbuilders Corporation, Newcastle / - 5210973 1947 Ministry of War Transport, London Completed in 1947 as Zarian for UAC, in 1949 on Palm Line as Lokoja Palm , 1966 Despina L , 1969 Nova , scrapped in 1972
Matadian Sir James Laing & Sons, Deptford Yard / 776 no 1948 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Matadi Palm , canceled from February 1963 in Burriana
Nigerian Furness Shipbuilding Company, Haverton Hill / 441 no 1948 UAC, London 1949 to Palm Line as Niger Palm , 1966 Triana , canceled from October 1968 in Hong Kong
Burutu palm Short Brothers, Pallion / 511 5055751 1952 Palm Line, London 1967 Tyhi , 1973 Globe Star , lost on April 27, 1973 on a trip from İskenderun to Karachi with malt flour after hitting the Leven Reef off Mombasa
Africa Palm Short Brothers, Pallion / 512 5004075 1953 Palm Line, London 1972 Savoydean , caught fire on July 24, 1975 in Calcutta and later scrapped in Bombay
Sapele palm AG Weser / 744 5313775 October 29, 1953 Oil trading & transport company, Hamburg 1960 to Palm Line, 1966 Capetan Georgis , arrived on March 23, 1973 at Elektrometal Sanayii AS in Halic / Istanbul for demolition
Tema Palm AG Weser Seebeck shipyard, Bremerhaven / 743 5218080 1953 Oil trading & transport company, Hamburg 1960 to Palm Line Makurdi Palm , 1969 Santamar , scrapped in Gadani Beach from February 1976
Bamenda Palm Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / 1926 5035440 March 1956 Palm Line, London 1972 Lenio , 1978 Elsa SK , 1980 Eternal Sea , scrapped from May 28, 1983 at GM Industrial Corporation in Gadani Beach
Badagry Palm Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / - 5033521 1956 Palm Line, London 1972 Irenes Grace , scrapped from June 19, 1981 at the Sri Sai Baba Shipbreaking Company in Bombay
Elmina Palm Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / - 5102372 1957 Palm Line, London 1977 Cyprus Sky , 1978 Eastern Sky , 1978 European Liberty , arrived at Gadani Beach for scrapping on December 21, 1981
Katsina Palm Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / - 5183883 1957 Palm Line, London 1978 New Dragon , canceled from Shanghai in August 1984
Andoni Palm Bemer volcano, Vegesack /
869		 5016391 1958 Palm Line, London 1976 Mastromanolis , scrapped in Sakaide from November 1984
Akassa Palm Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack / 870 5006712 1958 Palm Line, London 1972 Elenma , 1977 Ionian Sky , 1981 Magdalini K. , canceled from November 27, 1984 in Gadani Beach
Enugu palm Swan Hunter, Low Walker / 1946 5104722 1958 Palm Line, London 1978 Athari , 1979 Seepayal , arrived in Karachi for demolition in October 1982
Kano Palm Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / - 5181342 1958 Palm Line, London 1979 Purna Shanti , 1979 Island Trader , broken up in Bombay from September 1982
Ibadan palm Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker / - 5157767 1959 Palm Line, London 1978 Hind , 1979 Arunkamal , arrived at Gadani Beach on January 29, 1983 for demolition
Ilorian Palm Swan Hunter, Low Walker / 1972 5159105 1959 Palm Line, London 1979 Diamant Captain , 1982 Cape Blanco , 1982 Sea Venturer , broken in December 1982 and scrapped in Chittagong
Lobito Palm Swan Hunter, Low Walker / - 5210143 1960 Palm Line, London 1979 Lobito Palm , 1980 Minoa , 1980 Richmond , 1982 Peruvian Trader 1982 Eurco R. , canceled in 1984
Lagos Palm Swan Hunter, Low Walker / - 5202275 1961 Palm Line, London 1981 Lagos Palm II , 1981 City of Lobito , stranded in Hong Kong by Typhoon Ellen in early September 1983 , total loss
British Rover Joseph L. Thompson and Sons , North Sands / 665 5218028 1951 BP Tanker Company, London 1961 on Palm Line and converted to the sweet oil tanker Makeni Palm , 1967 Kerkennah , 1971 Palau , demolished in Brindisi on June 11, 1978
Ikeja Palm Swan Hunter, Low Walker / 1982 5158553 1961 Palm Line, London 1981 GME Palma , 1982 Palma , scrapped in Gadani Beach from November 1983
Ilesha palm Swan Hunter, Low Walker / 1984 5158785 1961 Palm Line, London 1979 Daphnemar , scrapped in Gadani Beach from April 1984
Matadi Palm Swan Hunter, Haverton Hill / Nov. 7025243 1970 Palm Line, London 1981 Matadi , 1986 Modesty , 1994 Lian , scrapped in Alang from November 1995
Joruna Warnow shipyard, Warnemünde / 376 7125328 1972 Rederi Lars Rej Johannsen, Oslo 1974 to Palm Line Africa Palm , 1983 Santa Barbara Pacific , 1983 Messaria , 1987 Tong Chau , 1995 Dong Wan , 1996 Brilliant 8 , 1997 Luxury , 1998 scrapped
Hasselburg Stocznia Szczecińska / - 7362677 1974 Harald Schuldt, Hamburg 1977 to Palm Line as Apapa Palm , 1977 Hoegh Apapa , 1979 Hasselburg , 1980 Mexico , 1982 Mexico I , 1987 Trade Vigor , 1996 Madras Express , scrapped in India in 1998
Schauenburg Stocznia Szczecińska / 242 7305801 1973 Harald Schuldt, Hamburg 1977 at Palm Line as Apapa Palm , 1985 General Salom , 1993 Orient Challenge , from August 13th 1999 demolition in Alang
Bamenda Palm Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan / 1294 7725843 1979 Palm Line, London Bamenda Palm , 1984 Lloyd Texas , 1985 Arko Glory , 1989 MC Ruby , 1989 Medipas Tide , 1990 MC Ruby , 1993 Ville De Damas , 1994 MC Ruby , 1994 Runner , 1994 CMBT Eagle , 1999 Runner , 2000 Renata , 2005 African Star , 2005 Renata , scrapped in Alang in 2009
Badagry Palm Sunderland Shipbuilders , North Sands /
741		 7726873 1979 Palm Line, London 1985 Badagry , 1986 Cordigliera , sank on November 13, 1996 off Port Edward with the entire 29-man crew
Lagos Palm Stocznia Szczecińska / 368 7822768 1982 Palm Line, London Lagos , 1986 Pearce , 2009 Ahraf B , canceled from September 22, 2009
Lokoja palm Stocznia Szczecińska / 371 7822770 1982 Palm Line, London 1982 Wameru , 1983 Lokoja , 1984 Lloyd Australia , 1986 Mekhanik Bardetskiy , 1996 MSC Buenos Aires , 1998 Jamie , 1999 Rocio B , 2009 Rocio , scrapped from April 27, 2009
Menestheus Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Nagasaki / 1809 7601566 November 30, 1977 Airlease International Nominees (Moorgate)
Ocean Fleets		 1980 Barber Menestheus , 1984 Menestheus , 1984 Lloyd Paranna , 1985 Menestheus , 1986 Apapa Palm , 1988 CMB Esprit , 1992 Woermann Expert , 2000 Expert , 2001 Delmas Sycamore , 2006 Expert , 2007 ClipperR Itajai II , 2007 King Spirit , from October 2010 in Alang canceled
Data: Equasis, large tonnage

literature

  • Dunn, Laurence; Heaton, PM: Palm Line . 1st edition. PM Heaton Publishing, Abergavenny, Gwent 1994, ISBN 1-872006-01-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ H. Adamietz: Tides of shipping . Verlag H. Saade, Bremen 1984, ISBN 3-922642-09-8 .
  2. ^ British shipping companies (P). In: Flags Of The World. Retrieved May 8, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Home. In: Equasis. Retrieved on May 8, 2017 (English, registration required).
  4. ↑ Home. In: large tonnage. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012 ; accessed on May 8, 2017 (English).