Johnson Line

The Fleets

This page covers Johnson Line and Red. A/B Nordstjernan.

Axel Johnson began shipowning in 1885 when he bought his first steamship and in 1890 he bought a second steamer. Axel Johnson founded the shipping company AB Nordstjernan on 19th May, 1890 together with Gustaf Lettström, Carl Schnell, C.G. Thulin, Ernst Edlund and Captain Gustaf Blomberg. The first new ship was delivered in 1891 for the new company.

In 1904 the company started a shipping route to South America under the name Johnson Line. On 26th April, 1914 a South Pacific shipping route was started. Axel Johnson died on 13th May, 1910 and was succeeded by his sons as directors. On 17th June, 1914 the North Pacific route was begun when the KRONPRINS GUSTAF ADOLF was loaded for destinations on the North American West coast.

In 1928 a refinery was founded in Nynäshamn and needed tankships to support the ships along the Swedish coast with fuel and lubrication oil, so several tank ships were built or purchased.

When the Germans occupied Denmark and Norway on 9th April, 1940 the Skagerak blockade was implemented. The Nordstjernan Company had seven ships inside Swedish ports and six outside. The route traffic was halted and the six ships outside Swedish ports were placed in traffic across the Pacific between Vladivostock and the USA. In 1940 Sweden managed to get the countries at war to allow limited traffic to and from Swedish ports. This safe-conduct traffic continued with few breaks until 1945.

During the forties the Lindholmens yard in Gothenburg was bought. In December 1948 the first ship in the newly created Far East route began to load in Bombay and set off on New Years Eve 1949. This route was operated jointly with Everett Orient Line and became to be known as the Everett Star Line.

In the early sixties Nordstjernan chartered reefer ships to manage the transportation of fruit from Argentina and the company started to built reefer ships for transportation of cold cargo, but was reluctant to do so due to substantial investments required, so as a solution the fruit company Frans A Sanden AB was bought in 1963 for the price of 14 million SEK, keeping the Sanden brothers in charge of running the company. With this company behind them Nordstjernan built several new reefer ships.

In 1966 Johnson Line ordered five container vessels at Wärtsilä shipyard in Åbo, Finland to serve the newly opened container line, to the west coast of North America in 1969 together with the ship in the Rio - series rebuild semi container vessels. Then they need more special vessels on North Pacific-trade. After a long discussion, Nordstjernan solved the problem, sailing together with other ship owners. It was the Danish Østasiatiske Kompagnie and the English Blue Star Line, which 1972 begin to sail together with nine vessels under the name Johnson Scan Star. Nordstjernan had five ships and the other two compnies had two ships each.

In 1969 the Lindholmen shipyard was sold to the Eriksberg shipyard owned by the Broström Concern. In 1975 Nordstjernan gained a majority in Rederi AB Fredrika and Stjärnbolagen and thereby also a majority in Rederi AB Svea (partner in the Silja Line) who had a fleet of 25 ships and 10 sightseeing boats in Stockholm.

Johnson Line and the Norwegian ships-owner Abraham Odfjell in Bergen, Norway created Odfjell Johnson Chemical Tankers (JO Tankers) in 1980 with nine new-build chemical tankers loading together 300,000 tons. Johnson Line took part in the Eurosal-consortium which was a consortium between nine European and South American ship owners: Johnson Line, Armement Deppe (Antwerp), Compania Naviera Marasia (Madrid), Compania Sud-Americana de Vapores (Valparaiso), Hapag-Lloyd (Hamburg/Bremen), Lineas Navieras Bolivianas (La Paz), Nedlloyd (Rotterdam), Pacific Steam Navigation Company (Liverpool) and Transportes Navieros Ecuatorianos (Guayaquil). In 1987 Empremar (Chile) and CNP (Peru) join the Eurosal-consortium. Johnson Lines share was 6.5%.

In 1986 an organization was formed for the collective Nordic South America traffic consisting of Laser Lines (Latin American Services) owned by Johnson Line with 70% interest, Finncarries (Effoa) with 20%, and Wilh. Wilhelmsen with 10%. Laser Line markets and administrates the Nordic ships owner's activities in the Laser Stream, Laser RoSA and Laser Eurosal consortium. In 1989 Johnson Line bought the Norwegian interests in Laser Lines but Finncarriers still have 20%, also Johnson Line purchased the Norwegian part in Rosa Tucano.

In the late 1980s the group decided to concentrate on the construction business and real estate and sold its shipping interests which included the Silja Line and Linjebuss and in 1988 changed the Nordstjernan name to NCC. In 1993 the last remaining ships were sold.

Many thanks to Henk Jungerius and Ted Finch for their assistance in collecting this data. The following list was extracted from various sources. This is not an all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide.

Routes

• 1920 Stockholm, Gothenburg, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo, Buenos Aires
• 1920 Malmö, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Talcahuano, Valparaiso, Antofagasta, Iquique, Callao, Guayaquil, Balboa, San Pedro, San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma, Central American ports, Columbian and Venezuelan ports, Gothenburg and other European ports.
• 1925 Gothenburg, Oslo (optional), Antwerp, Puerto Colombia, Panama, Acajutla, San José, San Pedro (Los Angeles), San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver
• 1928 Helsingborg, Malmö, Stockholm, Limhamn, Gothenburg, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo, Buenos Aires (return also to Helsinki)
• 1928 Gothenburg, Antwerp, San Pedro, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver (return also to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki)
• 1939 Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, ports in Guatemala and Salvador, Panama, Cristobal, port in UK or Continental port, Gothenburg
• 1947 Gothenburg, Antwerp, La Guaira, Curaçao, Cristobal, Buenaventura, Guayaquil, Callao, Arica (occasionally), Valparaiso. Return voyages: Valparaiso, Antofagasta, Callao and/or other Peruvian ports, Cristobal, Curaçao, Antwerp, Gothenburg.

Ships