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Unatra
The ''Union Nationale des Transports Fluviaux'' (Unatra) was a government-controlled company that provided river transport services in the Belgian Congo between 1925 and 1936. Origins Before 1921 the Belgian government operated transport services on the Congo River, as did various private enterprises. In 1921 the government formed the state-owned company Sonatra (Sociéte Nationale des Transports Fluviaux au Congo) to manage its river transport services. Sonatra was the successor to the Marine de Haut-Congo, which had launched its first steamer, the ''En Avant (steam launch), En Avant'', on Ngaliema Bay on 3 December 1881. In March 1925 Sonatra merged with the transport operations of the private company Compagnie Industrielle et de Transports au Stanley Pool (Citas) to create Unatra (''Union nationale des Transports fluviaux''). The government owned 70,000 shares in Unatra out of 120,000 total. Early years The Minister of the Colonies (Belgium), Minister of the Colonies, Henri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frederik-Valdemar Olsen
Frederik-Valdemar Olsen (24 May 1877 – 19 November 1962) was a Danish soldier who became a general and commander in chief of the Belgian Congo ''Force Publique''. He was born into a poor family, joined the Danish army, then in 1898 volunteered to serve in the Congo Free State. He rose quickly through the ranks, and in 1909–1910 played an important role in a stand-off with German and British forces disputing the eastern border of what was now the Belgian Congo. During World War I Olsen commanded a force that defended Northern Rhodesia against a German attack, then advanced from the south of Lake Kivu to take Tabora in what is now Tanzania. After the war he became commander of the ''Force Publique'' before retiring as a general in 1925. Olsen was then made general manager of the state-owned Congo River shipping line Unatra, later combined with railway lines to form Otraco. He retired from this position in 1947. Early years (1877–1898) Frederik-Valdemar Olsen was born on 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Compagnie Du Chemin De Fer Du Congo Supérieur Aux Grands Lacs Africains
The ''Compagnie du chemin de fer du Congo supérieur aux Grands Lacs africains'' (French; , abbreviated to CFL) was a Belgian railway company established in 1902 in the Congo Free State, later the Belgian Congo , now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It provided service in the eastern part of the colony south of Stanleyville (Kisangani) to serve the settlers and mining operations in Katanga. It operated a combination of river steamer service along the Lualaba River (Upper Congo River) and railway links where the river was not navigable, including a link to Lake Tanganyika. In 1960 it became the ''Société congolaise des chemins de fer des Grands Lacs''. History At the start of the 20th century King Leopold II of Belgium asked Baron Édouard Empain to undertake a railway project in the east of the Congo Free State. Empain founded the ''Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Congo Supérieur aux Grands Lacs Africains'' (CFL) in 1902 with capital of 25 million francs. It was to buil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Compagnie Industrielle Et De Transports Au Stanley Pool
The ''Compagnie Industrielle et de Transports au Stanley Pool'' (CITAS) was a Belgian company involved in transport on the Congo River between 1902 and 1955, in what was first the Congo Free State and then the Belgian Congo, today the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in .... The company evolved from owning a shipyard in Léopoldville (now (Kinshasa) to providing transport services on the Congo, and then to running a port in Léopoldville. Shipyard and boat The first Compagnie Industrielle et de Transports au Stanley Pool (CITAS) was incorporated in 1902. It was based in Léopoldville, where it owned a steamboat and operated a factory and shipyard. It also managed payments to agents of companies while they waited to leave for the upper Cong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
