Donald Currie - Development of The Union-Castle Line

Development of The Union-Castle Line

In 1872 he came to the conclusion, after a careful study of all the circumstances, that the development of the Cape Colony justified the starting of a new line of steamers between England and South Africa. Fortuitously, in the ensuing few years the Cape economy boomed, and consequently steam communication and transport to southern Africa expanded.

Although the Cape Prime Minister John Molteno was a personal friend of Donald Currie, he refused to authorise Currie to run a monopoly - desiring instead to preserve a state of competition between the principle shipping companies. Molteno therefore ordered the South African mail service to be shared equally, between Currie's Castle Company and its older rival, the Union Line. After lengthy negotiations, Currie agreed to alternating services, speed premiums and other clauses to promote competition. The new mail contract was signed on 5 October 1876 and Currie created the Castle Mail Packets Company, with the offices located at the Castle Shipping Line headquarters.

Initially forbidden by the contract from amalgamating, keen competition ensued between the companies. This competition led to their shipping services running at unprecedented speed and efficiency. However the contract eventually expired and several decades later, in 1900, Castle Shipping Line and Union Line would merge and become the Union-Castle Line.