British Tanker Company

British Tanker Company Limited was a British maritime transport company established in April 1915 by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the enterprise that later became BP. Its purpose was to give the oil producer direct control over the ocean transportation of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Persia, particularly from the Abadan refinery, to customers and distribution points around the British Empire and Europe. The company was created during a period when secure access to fuel oil had become strategically important to the British government and Royal Navy, and the British government invested heavily in the wider Anglo-Persian enterprise. Before the company had its own tanker fleet, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company relied largely on independent carriers, including the Asiatic Petroleum Company, a Shell subsidiary. The development of its Persian oil operations created difficult logistics. Ships could not initially reach Abadan directly because of the shallow bar at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, so cargoes had to be transferred between shore facilities, barges and ships waiting offshore. The company acquired vessels such as the SS Ferrara, the barge Friesland and the tug Sirdar-i-Naphte before deciding that a dedicated tanker fleet was the more effective long-term solution. British Tanker Company began with seven steam-powered oil tankers ordered from the Tyneside builders Armstrong Whitworth and Swan Hunter. Its first tanker, British Emperor, entered service in 1916. The fleet expanded rapidly during and after the First World War. In 1917, assets acquired from the former German-owned Benzin und Petroleum BP AG included the Petroleum Steamship Company and thirteen tankers, which passed into British Tanker Company ownership. The company also managed Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers for the Royal Navy, gaining experience in operating and administering a large fleet. During the 1920s, British Tanker Company grew alongside global demand for petroleum. Its ships transported crude oil and refined products including fuel oil, benzine and kerosene. The United Kingdom was its principal destination, while India and continental Europe were also important markets. The fleet reached approximately sixty vessels by 1924 and comprised eighty seagoing tankers, coastal vessels, government-owned steamers and additional chartered tankers by 1928. British Aviator, delivered in 1924, was the company’s first diesel-powered tanker and served as a prominent technological milestone. The company also entered a 1923 arrangement with P&O to provide bunkering facilities for its ships. The Great Depression created severe pressure across the merchant shipping industry, but British Tanker Company remained comparatively resilient because of its relationship with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the continuing strategic importance of petroleum. In 1932, Anglo-Persian and Royal Dutch Shell combined their United Kingdom domestic marketing and distribution activities in Shell-Mex & BP, resulting in changes to the ownership and deployment of some vessels. In 1935, as conditions improved, British Tanker Company began ordering another substantial group of ships from British yards. That year, its parent company changed its name to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The Second World War transformed the company into a major wartime fuel carrier. The British government chartered the entire fleet in 1939 for military fuel transport, and the company also managed requisitioned ships and American assistance tonnage. By 1942, it controlled 146 vessels. The company suffered heavy losses: forty-four of its own ships and six managed vessels were sunk, many in the Battle of the Atlantic and Mediterranean submarine campaigns. Other vessels were damaged beyond normal commercial use or lost while operated by associated companies. After 1945, the company rebuilt its fleet to its pre-war total of ninety-three ships within two years. It purchased American wartime T2 tankers and…

British Tanker Company was formed in April 1915 as the dedicated maritime transport arm of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The parent company had developed oil production and refining operations in Persia after the discovery of oil in 1908, but initially depended on outside carriers to move petroleum to customers. Navigational limitations at Abadan made the supply chain particularly complex: tankers often had to remain offshore while oil was transferred by smaller vessels. The acquisition of early vessels, followed by the decision to build a controlled tanker fleet, gave Anglo-Persian greater security over the movement of its own cargoes. The company ordered seven steam tankers from Armstrong Whitworth and Swan Hunter on Tyneside. British Emperor, launched in 1916, was the first of these vessels. British government investment in the parent enterprise reflected the importance of oil fuel to the Royal Navy, and the new fleet was closely connected to wartime supply requirements. In 1917, the acquisition of assets from the seized German company Benzin und Petroleum BP AG brought the Petroleum Steamship Company and thirteen tankers into the British Tanker Company group. The company also managed seven Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers, establishing capabilities that extended beyond owning and operating its own commercial ships. By 1919, the fleet had grown to twenty-five vessels. Expansion continued as petroleum consumption increased across industrial economies. British Tanker Company operated tankers carrying both crude oil and refined products, including fuel oil, benzine and kerosene. Britain was the main destination, while India and Europe formed important secondary markets. By 1924, the fleet contained sixty ships, and British Aviator introduced diesel propulsion to the company’s ocean-going operations. By 1928, the fleet included eighty seagoing tankers, five coastal vessels and four government-owned steamers, supplemented by chartered tankers. A 1923 bunkering agreement with P&O broadened the company’s role in marine fuel support. The Depression reduced employment and demand in the global shipping sector, but British Tanker Company was supported by the strategic position of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The company laid up relatively few ships for short periods and resumed substantial shipbuilding orders as conditions improved. The 1932 creation of Shell-Mex & BP altered the structure of British domestic petroleum distribution and led to transfers of some vessels. In 1935, the parent company became the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, while British Tanker Company continued to expand its fleet. The Second World War placed the entire fleet under British government charter. The company moved fuel for the armed forces and managed additional requisitioned and American-supplied ships. Its responsibilities reached 146 vessels by 1942. Losses were severe: forty-four company-owned ships and six managed ships were sunk, primarily in the Atlantic and Mediterranean submarine campaigns. Several other vessels were damaged so badly that they became storage hulks. After the war, the fleet was rebuilt to ninety-three ships within two years through purchases of American T2 tankers and former merchant aircraft carriers, as well as a programme of fifty-seven new tankers. Post-war fleet policy became more flexible. Rather than owning almost all required tonnage, the company increasingly used charters to meet peak requirements. Lowland Tanker Company was created with Mathesons and Common Brothers to operate ten time-chartered tankers exclusively for British Tanker Company. The 1951 nationalisation of Iran’s oil industry then disrupted the company’s central Abadan-based logistics. Anglo-Iranian Oil Company withdrew its employees from Iran and sought alternative oil relationships, notably in Kuwait and Bahrain. British Tanker Company redirected its ships, while the Petroleum Steamship Company evacuated small craft from Abadan to Basra and Kuwait. During the early 1950s, the company also ordered thirteen larger tankers of about 18,000 gross register tons. Their greater capacity was valuable when the Suez Canal closed during the 1956 crisis, forcing vessels to travel around southern Africa. The parent company changed its name to British Petroleum in the mid-1950s, and British Tanker Company became BP Tanker Company in 1956. The original company consequently became a predecessor of BP’s later tanker and shipping operations rather than a continuing independent brand.

1. 1956Renamed BP Tanker Company

   British Tanker Company adopts the BP Tanker Company name after the parent company becomes British Petroleum.

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2. 1951Iranian oil nationalisation disrupts operations

   Loss of access to Abadan prompts a major rerouting and redeployment of tankers and associated craft.

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3. 1942Fleet under control reaches 146 ships

   Including managed and assistance tonnage, the company controls 146 ships during the Second World War.

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4. 1939Wartime fleet charter

   The British government charters the entire fleet for wartime fuel transport.

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5. 1935Fleet renewal resumes

   The company begins ordering twenty-four additional ships as the Depression recedes; the parent company is renamed Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.

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6. 1932Shell-Mex & BP formed

   A domestic marketing and distribution combination between Anglo-Persian and Royal Dutch Shell leads to changes in vessel deployment.

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7. 1928Fleet reaches eighty seagoing tankers

   The operating fleet includes eighty seagoing tankers, coastal vessels, government ships and chartered tonnage.

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8. 1924Fleet reaches sixty vessels

   Fleet expansion brings the total to approximately sixty vessels, including the diesel-powered British Aviator.

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9. 1917Petroleum Steamship Company enters the group

   The company acquires the Petroleum Steamship Company and thirteen tankers among assets taken from Benzin und Petroleum BP AG.

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10. 1916British Emperor launched

    The company’s first tanker, British Emperor, enters service carrying oil from Abadan to ports in India.

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11. 1915Company founded

    Anglo-Persian Oil Company establishes British Tanker Company Limited with initial capital of £100,000.

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A vertically integrated petroleum tanker operator created to secure maritime transport capacity for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and to support British fuel security.

• Crude oil transportationMaritime petroleum logistics1915

  The company’s principal role was the seaborne movement of crude oil from Persian Gulf production and refining infrastructure to Britain, India and European destinations. In the 1920s, Britain received the largest share of cargoes, with crude delivered to refineries including Llandarcy and Grangemouth.

• Refined petroleum productsMaritime petroleum logistics1915

  British Tanker Company carried refined products such as fuel oil, benzine and kerosene. These cargoes supported industrial, transport, naval and commercial fuel markets across the United Kingdom, India, Europe and other destinations served by the parent company.

• Tanker fleet managementShipping services1917

  Beyond operating owned vessels, the company managed Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers, requisitioned ships and American assistance tonnage. Its responsibilities expanded substantially during the Second World War, when it controlled up to 146 vessels.

• Bunkering supportMarine fuel services1923

  A 1923 agreement with P&O involved supplying bunkering facilities for the latter’s ships, extending the company’s petroleum logistics activities beyond long-distance cargo carriage.

• 1956Adopt the BP Tanker Company identityStrategy

  The parent Anglo-Iranian Oil Company adopted the British Petroleum name as part of a broader corporate identity change.

  What changed. British Tanker Company was renamed BP Tanker Company, with the new identity introduced in 1956.

  Aftermath. The historical British Tanker Company brand ended, while tanker operations continued within the BP organisation.

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• 1951Redirect tanker logistics after Iranian nationalisationStrategy

  Iran nationalised its oil industry, disrupting Anglo-Iranian Oil Company access to Abadan and its established refining and shipping arrangements.

  What changed. The company rerouted and repurposed tankers, developed alternative supply relationships involving Kuwait and Bahrain, and moved associated small craft toward Basra and Kuwait.

  Aftermath. The fleet continued operating despite the loss of its principal Persian production and refining base.

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• 1915Create an owned tanker fleetStrategy

  The Anglo-Persian Oil Company faced logistical constraints at Abadan and relied on independent carriers to move its petroleum.

  What changed. It established British Tanker Company and ordered seven steam-powered oil tankers from British shipbuilders.

  Aftermath. The parent company gained a dedicated shipping arm and progressively greater control over its petroleum supply chain.

  Initial capital. £100,000 (1915)

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• 1956British Tanker Company renamed BP Tanker Company

  Following the parent company’s adoption of the British Petroleum name, British Tanker Company changed its identity to BP Tanker Company, ending the historical British Tanker Company brand.

  Leadership change
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• 1951Iranian oil nationalisation forces major fleet redeployment

  The nationalisation of Iran’s oil industry removed the company’s normal access to Abadan and required emergency redirection of tankers and associated craft toward alternative Middle Eastern supply arrangements.

  Regulation
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• 1939Entire fleet placed under wartime government charter

  At the beginning of the Second World War, the British government chartered the company’s full fleet for armed-forces fuel transport and expanded its responsibilities to requisitioned and American assistance tonnage.

  Other
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• 1932Shell-Mex & BP arrangement changes domestic distribution fleet

  The Anglo-Persian Oil Company and Royal Dutch Shell combined their United Kingdom marketing and distribution networks in Shell-Mex & BP, with some ships transferred to the jointly owned business.

  M&A
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• 1924Fleet reaches approximately sixty vessels

  The fleet reached about sixty vessels, including British Aviator, the company’s first diesel-powered tanker and its new flagship.

  Product generation
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• 1917British Tanker Company acquires Petroleum Steamship Company assets

  Assets acquired from the former German-owned Benzin und Petroleum BP AG included the Petroleum Steamship Company and thirteen tankers, expanding British Tanker Company’s fleet and associated craft operations.

  M&A
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• 1915British Tanker Company established by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company

  The Anglo-Persian Oil Company created British Tanker Company Limited with initial capital of £100,000 and commissioned seven steam-powered oil tankers from Tyneside shipbuilders.

  Other
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1. British Tanker Company
2. BP Shipping 100 Pt 1