The Fleets

Aktiebolaget Svenska Ostasiatiska Kompaniet / Swedish East Asia Company (SEAC) 1907-1979

Aktiebolaget Svenska Ostasiatiska Kompaniet or Swedish East Asia Company (SEAC) was founded by K.A. Wallenberg, M. Wallenberg and Dan Broström with financial support from the Swedish Government to open new routes to east Asia on 15th June 1907. To start the operation as soon as possible a joint service agreement was signed on August 1, 1907 with the East Asiatic Company (EAC) of Copenhagen and the Nicobar was taken over and renamed CANTON (1).

During 1902 two new steamers were acquired the PEKING and YEDDO, followed by the NIPPON (1) in 1909. The joint service with EAC was a success and in 1910 two new ships were built for the company by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd of Newcastle, the CEYLON (1) and JAPAN (1).

By 1914 the company had become well established in East Asia and started to extend their operations to other parts of Asia, early that year a joint service was begun with the Deutsche Dampfschifffahrt Gesellschaft Hansa (DDG Hansa) and Wilh. Wilhelmsen and a new line was opened to British India. The collaboration with DDG Hansa ended abruptly at the outbreak of World War I. Also in 1914 a new steamer the SUMATRA (1) built also in Great Britain joined the fleet.

The company lost one ship during World War I, the NEW SWEDEN built in 1917. After the war SEAC became an independent member of the Straits, China and Japan Conference and in 1925 it became a member of the India Conference. The PEKING was lost in 1919, the INDUS in 1921 and the YEDDO in 1924.

In 1920 two new steamers were acquired the INDUS and BENARES (1), followed by the company’s first motorship ordered in 1915 but completed in 1921 from the Burmeister & Wain yard of Copenhagen, the FORMOSA. After 1920 all the company’s ships were motor ships and ordered from Swedish yards. In 1925 the fleet consisted of ten ships.

Between 1929 and 1931 four new motor vessels were acquired by SEAC, the NAGARA, SHANTUNG, TAMARA and PEIPING and the steamers BENARES (1) and NIPPON (1) were sold in 1934 and 1936 respectively. The NIPPON (2) joined the fleet in 1937 only to be lost in 1938, followed by the NINGPO in 1938 and TONGHAI in 1940. During World War II the SEAC paid a heavy price during that conflict and lost seven ships ; CANTON (2) in 1940 JAPAN (1), SHANTUNG and NINGPO in 1941, AGRA and PEIPING in 1942 NANKING in 1943.

Replacements for the lost ships were built in Swedish yards and between 1940 and 1946 SEAC obtained nine modern diesel ships and in 1946 the fleet consisted of thirteen ships. In the post war period an extensive ship building programme was under taken to keep the fleet modernised.

In 1978 all the remaining ships were transferred to Broströms Rederi AB and In 1984 Transatlantic (Red AB Transocean) took over all Broströms' liner operations.

Many thanks to Henk Jungerius and Ted Finch for his assistance in collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various sources. This is not an all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide. If you would like to know more about a vessel, visit the Ship Descriptions (onsite) or Immigrant Ship web site.

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