About

Our Journey

1872
THE ORIGIN

The China Navigation Company (CNCo) enjoys a rich heritage; it was founded in 1872 where it operated Mississippi-style paddle-steamers on China’s Yangtze River. As the shipping arm and oldest operating entity of the Swire group, CNCo has grown in tandem with the global economy

2012
THE START

Swire Bulk is launched as a division under The China Navigation Company (CNCo)

2013
NEW BUILD PROGRAMME LAUNCHED

Commencement of delivery of 32 Handysize vessels including 24 loggers

2014
DEVELOPS OPERATING PLATFORM

Establishes solid operating platform within 2 years of inception

2019
ACQUIRES HAMBURG SÜD DRY BULK DIVISION

Acquires the Dry Bulk Division of Hamburg Sud, expanding our presence in the Ultramax sector

2020
LEADING OPERATOR

Transitioning from a leading operator in Pacific to a global Owner-Operator

2021
SWIRE BULK OPERATES AS AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

To accelerate growth and efficiency, Swire Bulk separates from CNCo to become a separate entity under the Swire Group.

Swire Shipping is the wholly owned, deep-sea ship owning and operating arm of John Swire & Sons Limited and is the oldest operating entity of the Swire Group. Swire Shipping was founded as The China Navigation Company (CNCo) in 1872 in Shanghai and started its operations trading on The Chinese Mainland’s Yangtze River. Over the years, the Swire Shipping brand became synonymous with being a leader in providing sustainable liner shipping services in the Asia-Pacific markets. In October 2021, CNCo was renamed Swire Shipping Pte. Ltd.

Today, Swire Shipping is a leading provider of a wide range of specialist customer solutions for various types of cargo and aims to offer a full suite of land and ocean solutions to customers. Dedicated to facilitating and growing trade in regions where it operates, Swire Shipping provides several high frequency liner services in the Asia-Pacific markets; specialist shipping services to energy, resource and infrastructure sectors in the project logistics market; and landside logistics services. It connects 400 ports via an extensive network of services globally and maintains a worldwide agency network in addition to its own representative offices across the Asia-Pacific, Pacific Islands, North America and Europe, providing its customers with dedicated service and expert market knowledge.

Swire Bulk was established in 2012 as the dry bulk trading division of CNCo. Following Swire Bulk’s separation from CNCo in 2021 (prior to CNCo’s rebranding to Swire Shipping), Swire Shipping will continue to offer customers safe, sustainable and innovative shipping solutions all over the world through its liner and landside business divisions and Swire Projects.

Our vision and values form the core of what we do and why we do it. These in turn shape our commitment to operational excellence.