Elder Dempster Lines was one of the major shipping lines serving West Africa. Elder Dempster & Company Limited, was formed in 1852 as the African Steam Ship Company Limited, with a contract to carry mail from London to Madeira, Tenerife and the West Coast of Africa. In 1856, the home of Elder Dempster was Liverpool.

In 1894, the African Steam Ship Company entered the Canadian trade by taking over the Avonmouth service of the Dominion Line and in 1898 the Beaver Line was purchased together with their Liverpool - Canada service. Elder Dempster Shipping Limited was formed in 1899 and in 1901 the Imperial Direct West India Mail Service Company was set up to operate services to the West Indies. By 1903 their Canadian interests had been sold to Canadian Pacific together with 14 ships.

The Elder Dempster & Company Limited was formed in 1910 after the sale of the company to Lords Kylsant and Pirrie. After the collapse of this company in 1931, the company was run by a board of trustees until, with government help, the company could be re-organised and refinanced. The ships of both companies then came under the control and colours of the new company the British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company in 1951. After this date, there were many in-group transfers between Elder Dempster, Guinea Gulf, Blue Funnel and the British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company.

In their heyday in the 1960s as well as operating many cargo ships they operated three liners (the Aureol, Accra and Apapa) on scheduled services from Liverpool to Ghana and Nigeria. Their headquarters was based in the India Buildings in Liverpool. Their mailships were based in Brocklebank Dock in Liverpool and picked up passengers from the Liverpool Pier Head adjacent to the Liverpool Riverside railway station.

In 1965 the Ocean Steam Ship Company (Blue Funnel Line) became owners of Elder Dempster Lines, and in 1984 Palm Line became part of the group.

In the 1970s and 80s the West Africa trade was not immune to the changes that were sweeping the British merchant fleet and the effect of the Boeing 747 and the jet age. As a result Elder Dempster Lines fell into decline. In 1974 the passenger service to West Africa was discontinued. In 1989 Elder Dempster Lines, together with Palm Line and Guinea Gulf Line, was acquired by the French Delmas-Vieljeux group and passed into history. Elder Dempster Agencies operated as the liner shipping agency for the group in the UK until 2000, when it became Delmas UK. However in September 2005 the Bollore Group sold its shipping activities (including Delmas UK) to the French shipping giant CMA-CGM Group (descendent of CGT French Line).

Thus Elder Dempster Lines became another of the fine British shipping companies to disappear due to mergers and consolidation in the shipping industry and globalisation. It is truly the end of a glorious era.

Related Websites:

CMA-CGM Group

www.cma-cgm.com

SDV International Logistics Group

www.sdv.com

SAGA

www.saga.fr

Delmas

www.delmas.com/UK/html/accueil/cadre.htm

OT Africa Line

www.otal.com

Elder Dempster Lines

www.elderdempster.org