FOR ALL THOSE WITH AN INTEREST IN BRITISH INDIA STEAM NAVIGATION (BI)
BI History
Services Operated - 1968
(from British India SN Co Handbook
Information revised January 1, 1968)
Services are divided into trading groups: Home Lines, Eastern Lines, Australian Lines, Far East Lines Three main ports - London, Bombay and Calcutta - have been classified as Operating Agents and are responsible for the overall operational control of individual services. These are:
LONDON
Home Lines
UK-Africa (passenger)
UK-Africa (cargo)
UK-India/Ceylon/Pakistan
Educational CruisesEastern Lines
India-Africa (cargo)Australian Lines
India-Australia
India-New Zealand
Australia-GulfFar East Lines
Japan-Gulf (from Apr 1, 1968)BOMBAY
Eastern Lines
Bombay-Gulf
India-Africa (passenger)
Madras-StraitsFar East Lines
Japan-Gulf (to Mar 31, 1968)CALCUTTA
Far East Lines
Bengal-JapanHOME LINES
UK-Africa A passenger/cargo service is maintained by KENYA between London and East Africa calling at Gibraltar, Naples, (summer months only) Port Said, Aden, Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam and Tanga.
This Service is supplemented by regular cargo opportunities serving the same range of ports, but also including Middlesbrough, Antwerp, Zanzibar and Mtwara. Additional calls may be made at Nacala and Quelimane outwards as required and Famagusta, Marseilles, Barcelona and Cadiz, Hull and Sunderland homewards. Red Sea ports are also served in both directions.
UK-Australia This Service is operated by the P&0 Company with their own and two BI cargo vessels giving sailings at approximately three week intervals calling as required at wayports in the Red Sea and Mediterranean. There are facilities for the carriage of bulk oil and refrigerated cargo.
UK-India, Pakistan and Ceylon In conjunction with P&0, a monthly cargo service is maintained from the UK and Continental ports to Madras, Calcutta and separately to Chittagong and Chalna, serving Trincomalee and Visakhapatnam as required via Red Sea ports.
Also operated, in conjunction with P&0, are thirteen sailings a year from the UK and Continental ports to Colombo via Red Sea ports.
Joint BI and P&0 servIces are maintained from the UK and Continent to Karachi and Bombay offering fifteen sailings to each separate destination per year. This service also covers Red Sea ports. Marseilles and Genoa as required.
There is a sailing homeward, at least monthly, from the Bay of Bengal area serving Calcutta, Madras and separately, Chittagong and Chalna, also calling at Visakhapatnam, Colombo and Trincomalee as required.
A bi-monthly service homeward is maintained from the West Coast of India including Saurashtra ports.
Some of the vessels employed in these servIces are fitted with refrigerated space and provided with deep tanks for the carriage of bulk oil.
Excellent accommodation for twelve passengers is offered in some of the vessels.
UK-Red Sea The ships trading with Africa, India, Pakistan and Ceylon offer a regular service between Europe and Port Said, Aqaba, Yembo, Jeddah, Port Sudan, Massawa, Aden and Djibouti.
Educational Cruises: Approximately 40 cruises are operated annually by NEVASA and UGANDA; the majority being for school parties between the ages of 12 and I5 years who are accommodated in dormitories. NEVASA carries 307 cabin passengers and 1,090 dormitory passengers in 50 dormitories varying from 12 to 42 berths. UGANDA carries 304 cabin passengers and 920 dormitory passengers in 43 dormitories varying from 14 to 34 berths.
Bombay-Gulf A regular passenger/cargo service operating to a fixed schedule is maintained between Bombay and Gulf ports.
India-Africa A regular passenger/cargo service operating to a fixed schedule is maintained by KAMPALA and KARANJA. KAMPALA's itinerary ends at Dar-es-Salaam while KARANJA's extends to Durban. The ships call at the Seychelles in each direction.
Cargo vessels are berthed from Africa to India to meet seasonal demands of cotton and cashewnuts.
Africa-Gulf This service has been suspended temporarily but through cargo facilities are offered with transhipment at Karachi and Bombay.
Madras-Straits A regular monthly passenger/cargo service is maintained by RAJULA between Madras and Singapore via Nagapattinam and Penang, and Port Swettenham inwards.
AUSTRALIAN LINES
India-Australia A regular monthly service is maintained from Calcutta, Chalna and Chittagong to Australian ports via MalaysIa and Singapore. Extra sailings are berthed according to demand.
Monthly sailings are maintained from Australia to Singapore, Malaysia, Burma and the East Coast of lndia. Calls are made at Bangkok and lndonesia as required. All the vessels regularly employed in this trade are fitted for the carriage of refrigerated cargo and have deep tanks fitted for the carriage of edible oils, tallow and latex in bulk.
For sailings between West Coast India and Australia & vice-versa see Australia-Gulf.
India-New Zealand In conjunction with the Union Steam Ship Company a monthly cargo service is maintained by the company's motorships BANKURA, BULIMBA and the Union Steam Ship Company's WAITAKI and WAINUI between India and New Zealand, calling at Ceylon, Malaysia and Singapore en route.
BULIMBA, WAITAKI and WAINUI load from Calcutta and sometimes also from East Pakistan, while BANKURA loads from Bombay and Cochin. BANKURA and BULIMBA also call at Brisbane both southbound and northbound. BULIMBA calls at Suva subject to inducement from Calcutta. Calls at Rangoon northbound are arranged subject to inducement.
All four vessels are equipped with refrigerated cargo space, while BANKURA and BULIMBA are also equipped with tankage to carry bulk liquid cargoes.
Australia-Gulf Sailings are operated to and from the Gulf at approximately three-weekly Intervals, vessels calIing at West Coast of India and Pakistan ports calling en route in Indonesia and/or Ceylon as required. Sailings from the Gulf are also, if the trade requires, routed via the Straits and Indonesia and extended to New Zealand. Extra sailings according to demand are berthed for the Gulf. Vessels on this service are fitted for the carriage of refrigerated cargo while some have deep tanks for the carriage of edible oils, tallow and latex in bulk. Some vessels offer accommodation for a limited number of passengers.
Australia-Mauritius-East Africa Vessels will be berthed if inducement offers.
FAR EAST LINES
Japan-Gulf A regular cargo service is maintained between Japan and Basrah calling at West Coast of India ports and Karachi and vice-versa. Some vessels have accommodation for a limited number of passengers.
Bengal-Japan A monthly cargo service is maintained between Calcutta and the Far East calling at Chittagong, Chalna, Rangoon, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Calls are made at Bangkok westbound occasionally as required to cater for the Bangkok-Bay of Bengal trade.
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