Steam Navigation Companies became widespread during the 19th century after the development of

steam-powered vessels Steam-powered vessels include steamboats and steamships. Smaller steamboats were developed first. They were replaced by larger steamships which were often ocean-going. Steamships required a change in propulsion technology from sail to paddlewheel ...

, both steamboats, which were generally used on lakes and rivers, and ocean-faring

steamships A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

. Companies that share the name ''Steam Navigation Company'' include the following, listed by their country of ownership.

Australia

Australasian Steam Navigation Company The Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASN Co) was a shipping company of Australia which operated between 1839 and 1887. Company history The company was started as the Hunter River Steam Navigation Company in 1839. In March 1851, the compa ...

(1839–1887) * Australian United Steam Navigation Company (1887–1961), formed by the merger of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company and the Queensland Steam Shipping Company * Clarence, Richmond & Macleay River Steam Navigation Company, 1888 name of the

North Coast Steam Navigation Company The North Coast Steam Navigation Company was a shipping company that operated in Australia, formed as the Grafton Steam Navigation Company in 1855. The company was later renamed the Clarence & Richmond River Steam Navigation Company before being ...

* Grafton Steam Navigation Company, 1855 name of the

* Hunter River Steam Navigation Company, 1839 name of the

Illawarra Steam Navigation Company The ''Illawarra Steam Navigation Company'' was a shipping company that serviced the south coast of New South Wales, Australia from 1858 to the early 1950s. It was formed through the amalgamation of the General Steam Navigation Company, the Kiam ...

(1858–early 1950s), south coast of New South Wales * Launceston & Melbourne Steam Navigation Company, taken over by the

Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company Limited was an Australian steaming company, formed in Hobart in 1853 and defunct in 1922 after a series of acquisitions. It operated a shipping service from Tasmania to the Australian Mainland, later expanded ...

in 1865 *

(1855–1954) * River Murray Steam Navigation Company (charter received in 1854) *

(1853–1922), between Tasmania, the Australian Mainland, and New Zealand

India

* Bombay Coast and River Steam Navigation Company ( 1860s), between

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

and other Indian ports * Bombay Steam Navigation Company (late 19th century–1952), passenger ferry and cargo services along the

Konkan coast The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

of India; amalgamated with Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. * Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. (founded in 1919), ceased shipping in 1997 * Shri Ambica Steam Navigation Company (1942–before 1980), western coast of India * Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (founded in 1906), between Tuticorin and Colombo

United Kingdom

Atlantic Steam Navigation Company The Atlantic Steam Navigation Company was founded in 1934 with the original object of providing a no-frills transatlantic passenger service. A combination of difficult economic conditions and then World War II frustrated these early ambitions. ...

(1934–1971),

roll-on roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferry service *

Barrow Steam Navigation Company The Barrow Steam Navigation Company was a steamship company, owned by the Midland Railway, Furness Railway, and James Little & Company. It was acquired by the Midland Railway in 1907. It operated a number of ships, including: * * PS Rouen (1888) ...

, acquired by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...

in 1907 *

Bristol General Steam Navigation Company The Bristol General Steam Navigation Company provided shipping services between Bristol and ports in southern Ireland, principally Cork from 1821 to 1980. There were also services to other destinations including ports in southern England, south ...

(1821–1980), between

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and ports in southern

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

* British India Steam Navigation Company (1862–1972), one of the largest shipowners of all time with; more than 500 ships; absorbed into P&O * Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company (1856–1862), began as a mail carrier between

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, India, and Rangoon, Burma; renamed British-India Steam Navigation Company * Castletown Steam Navigation Company (1854–1858), between Isle of Man and England *

Eastern Steam Navigation Company Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

(1851– 1858) *

General Steam Navigation Company The General Steam Navigation Company (GSN), incorporated in 1824, was London's foremost short sea shipping line for almost 150 years. It was the oldest shipping company in the world to begin business with seagoing steam vessels. Foundation ...

(GSNC) (1824–1872), specialized in short sea shipping; acquired by P&O *

Indo-China Steam Navigation Company Ltd. The Indo-China Steam Navigation Company, Limited (ICSNC), was established in 1873 as a subsidiary of Hong Kong based Jardine, Matheson & Co., one of the largest trading companies in the Far East at that time. Early history With the advent of st ...

(ICSNC) (1873–1974), established as a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Jardine * Neptune Steam Navigation Company, see SS ''Trondhjemsfjord'' * North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company or The North Company (founded in 1875), part of

NorthLink Ferries NorthLink Ferries (also referred to as Serco NorthLink Ferries) is an operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, as well as ferry services, between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. Since July 2012, it has been oper ...

* North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company (1843–1870), between

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal lando ...

and, principally,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Northern Ireland * Orient Steam Navigation Company or Orient Line (1878–1966), absorbed into P&O *

Pacific Steam Navigation Company The Pacific Steam Navigation Company ( es, Compañía de Vapores del Pacífico, links=no) was a British commercial shipping company that operated along the Pacific coast of South America, and was the first to use steam ships for commercial traffi ...

(1838– 1965), operated on the Pacific coast of South America *

Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company P&O (in full, The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) is a British shipping and logistics company dating from the early 19th century. Formerly a public company, it was sold to DP World in March 2006 for £3.9 billion. DP World c ...

(P&O) (founded 1822), originally service between London, Spain and Portugal *

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...

or Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (1845–1934), merged with Cunard Line * Scilly Isles Steam Navigation Company (1858–1872), between

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and the Isles of Scilly * Ullswater Steam Navigation Company (founded 1855), passenger transportation on

Ullswater Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being about long and wide, with a maximum depth a little over . It was scooped out by a glacier in the Last Ice Age. Geography It is a typical Lake District "ribbon lake", ...

, English Lake District

United States

British and American Steam Navigation Company The British and American Steam Navigation Company was a steamship line that operated a regular transatlantic service from 1839 to 1841. Before its first purpose-built Atlantic liner, ''British Queen'' was completed, British and American chartered ...

(1839–1841), London-New York service *

California Steam Navigation Company The California Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1854 to consolidate competing steamship companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. It was successful in this effort and established a profitable near-m ...

(1854–1871), transporta along the coast and inland waters of California, Oregon, and British Columbia *

Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company was headquartered in Honolulu and ran steamship passenger and cargo service between the Hawaiian Islands from 1883 until 1947. Inter-Island constructed the Kona Inn in 1928, the first hotel in Kona on the Big ...

(1883–1947), passenger and cargo service between the Hawaiian Islands *

Ocean Steam Navigation Company The Ocean Steam Navigation Company (OSNC or Bremen Line) was a shipping company founded in 1847 in New York City by Edward Mills. It was the first company to be awarded a contract by the US government for the oceanic transportation of mail. I ...

(1847–1857), oceanic mail transportation for the U.S. government *

Oregon Steam Navigation Company The Oregon Steam Navigation Company (O.S.N.) was an American company Incorporation (business), incorporated in 1860 in Washington (U.S. state), Washington with partners J. S. Ruckle, Henry Olmstead, and J. O. Van Bergen. It was incorporated in Was ...

(founded 1860), transport between San Francisco and ports along the Columbia River * Colorado Steam Navigation Company (1867—1877), transport on the Colorado River, sold to the

Southern Pacific Company Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

Willamette Steam Navigation Company The Willamette Steam Navigation Company (W.S.N.) was an American company incorporated in October 1865 to challenge the monopoly on Willamette River inland steam navigation that the People's Transportation Company was attempting to establish. Off ...

(1865–1866), transport on the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

Other countries

China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company China Merchants Group Limited () is an international state-owned corporation (SOE) of the People's Republic of China. The company is operating under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Transport. Founded in 1872 China Merchants Steam Navig ...

(founded 1872) * General Steam Navigation Company of Greece (1939–1975), passenger ship line * Russian Steam Navigation and Trading Company (1856–1918) {{set index, type=company