Österreichischer Lloyd#

Oesterreichischer Lloyd, founded in 1833 in Trieste by 7 local insurance agencies in analogy to the London Lloyd´s, aiming to make available to merchants and insured persons information on trade and shipping in Europe, especially in the Levant. Among the founding members was the Trieste merchant and former trade and finance minister, Karl Ludwig, Baron of Bruck. In 1836, the "Oesterreichischer Lloyd Triest" was able to found a shipping company under the condition that it would connect Austrian maritime ports with the Levant, the motto being "Forward". In 1845, the Oesterreichischer Lloyd was awarded the status of a state post institution and transported mail to the Levant ("Levantepost"), its ships sailed under the postal flag. After the opening of the Suez Canal, Oesterreichischer Lloyd sailed between Trieste and Bombay and ran every week between Trieste and Port Saïd, the line being extended to Singapore and Hong Kong in 1879. Following the constitutional Compromise between Austria and Hungary, the society was renamed "Oesterreichisch-Ungarischer Lloyd" in 1872, in 1891 the contract was cancelled by Hungary, which focused on its own shipping company "Adria", and Oesterreichischer Lloyd bore its old name again. In 1906, the headquarters were moved from Trieste to Vienna, in 1912 the express line Trieste-Shanghai was opened. At the outbreak of the First World War, Oesterreichischer Lloyd owned 65 steamships and 1 yacht. At that time it was one of the largest shipping companies in the world. A dozen ships were confiscated abroad, 13 more commandeered by the k. u. k. Navy, 6 of them were lost during the war. By the end of World War I the majority of steamships had been lost or had been taken over by the successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From November 1918, Oesterreichischer Lloyd was temporarily under Italian management and continued to operate as "Lloyd Triestino".

IN 1951 Oesterreich Lloyd was re-established by Stefan Kreppel and has since then become an important European shipping company. In 2000 its fleet consisted of 23 deep-sea ships including container ships, bulk carriers, refrigerating ships and special purpose ships. The technology and personnel management for 50 further ships is also carried out by the company via its subsidiary, Oesterreich Lloyd Ship Management. The company´s headquarters are located in Vienna; it has branches and subsidiaries in Hamburg (Germany), Limassol (Cyprus) and Malta. The Oesterreich Lloyd fleet plays a significant role in European coastal shipping and transports approx. 3 million tons of freight annually.

Literature#