| Activity | The Orient Steam Navigation Company was formed by Anderson in 1877, to run services from London to Australia. Initial services used chartered tonnage and sailed via the Cape. At the time, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNC) found themselves in financial difficulties with their services to the west coast of South America. Many PSNC ships were laid up, and service speeds and departures were reduced. Two PSNC ships were sold to Royal Mail Lines, and four others were chartered (and later sold) to the Orient Line in 1878 for their new service to Australia. The Orient Line venture was so successful, that sailings were soon increased from monthly to fortnightly, and the extra ships required again came from the PSNC. PSNC entered into a joint venture with Orient Line, marketed as Orient-Pacific Line, although management remained with Orient Line. The best PSNC vessels at this time were all deployed on the Australian route. PSNC ships adopted an Or- prefix, in line with Orient practice. From 1881, alternate sailings used the Suez Canal route, and the Cape route was abandonned altogether in 1883.
By 1906, brighter prospects in their original trading area allowed PSNC to sell their Australian interests to Royal Mail, along with the four PSNC vessels used, and the Australian service became known as Orient-Royal Mail Line. The new partners did not get along, and Royal Mail pulled out of the partnership with Orient Line in 1909. In 1919, P&O acquired a controlling interest in the Orient Line, although Orient retained its managerial independence within the group. From 1938, services were extended beyond Australia to New Zealand. In post-war years, services were marketed as P&O-Orient Lines, and the Orient ships retained there distinctive corn-coloured hulls. In 1965, P&O acquired the whole Orient Line shareholding, the ships received white P&O hulls, and the Orient Line title was dropped. |