Bibby Line
1889 The Bibby family returned to the shipping business when they started Bibby Brothers Ltd. which later changed its name to the Bibby Steamship Company. It worked in partnership with Paddy Henderson’s British and Burmese Steam Navigation Co providing passenger services to Burma, cruises in the Mediterranean, and troop transports.
The company became known as the Bibby Line (see advert)
1891 Services by Bibby Brothers from Liverpool were in large steamships, to Burmah, Ceylon, and Southern India. The steamers carried French and Egyptian Mails between Marseilles and Egypt, and between Suez and Colombo, and supplementary English Mails between Rangoon and Colombo and England. Three steamers on the Rangoon service had been built by Harland and Wolff, advertised as Bibby Line[1]
1931 The name of the shipping company was changed to the Bibby Line Ltd.
After WW2 services to India and Burma declined.
The company went into bulk carriers and LPG transport.
1955 Following the example of other shipping companies, Bibby Line formed an alliance with an independent airline - Skyways - to increase the capital available to that company which would take over operation of 4-engined aircraft on long distance services from its associated company Lancashire Aircraft Corporation which would restrict itself to internal flights[2]
1962 Troop transportation services ended
1965 Passenger services ended.
The company joined Seabridge and took over the Bristol City Line in 1971.
1980s Developed aspirations to move into the oil and gas industry, so bought a 50 percent interest in the offshore design engineering (ODE) facility at Loch Kishorn, from DORIS.
Bibby Line Ltd are still in business, operating from the Isle of Man. They own chemical and gas carriers and accommodation vessels.
2015 Sir Michael Bibby was managing director; he was the great-great-great-grandson of the founder of the firm, John Bibby[3]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Bibby Line [1]