The Union Steam Ship Company was a highly successful shipping institution dealing with both passenger and freight transportation in New Zealand and between New Zealand and other Pacific countries. At its height, in 1914, it operated the largest fleet of its type in the southern hemisphere. In 1917, it was acquired by the Peninsula and Orient (P&O) company, under whose control it performed only moderately. In 1972, it came under the control of a Australasian company before being bought by Brierley Investments, a well-known New Zealand group, in 1987.

In 1987 the company changed its name to Union Shipping New Zealand Ltd. Brierley Investments Ltd (BIL) wound up its shipping concerns in the early 1990s. The company finally ceased operating in 2001.

Brierley Investments Ltd in 2001 became BIL International Ltd and relocated its base to Singapore in 2005 after acquisition by Guoco Group Ltd of Hong Kong. Then in 2007 it announced that BIL International Ltd would be renamed GuocoLeisure Limited.