Elder Dempster Lines

United Kingdom

Click for larger view
African Steam Ship Co./British & African Steam Navigation Co.
Sailings October-December 1926
Vessel(s) Ports of call
Aba
Adda
"Lagos Express" service:
Liverpool, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Sekondi, Accra, Lagos.
Return voyages: Lagos, Accra, Sekondi, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Grand Canary (Las Palmas) (Adda only), Tenerife (Aba only), Plymouth, Liverpool.
Abinsi
Elmina
Ekari
"Calabar" service:
Liverpool, Grand Canary (Las Palmas), Bathurst, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Monrovia, Grand Bassam, Sekondi, Accra, Lagos, Forcados, Bonny, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Victoria, Fernando Po, Douala.
Return voyages: Douala, Victoria, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Bonny, Lagos, Accra, Sekondi, Grand Bassam, Monrovia, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Bathurst, Dakar, Grand Canary (Las Palmas) (every other voyage), Tenerife (every other voyage), Plymouth, Liverpool.
?
?

(approx. 6 ships)
"Benin" service:
1) Liverpool, Madeira, Tenerife, Grand Canary (Las Palmas), Conakry, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Monrovia, Grand Bassa, Cape Palmas, Sekondi, Accra, Cotonou, Lagos, Forcados, Burutu, Warri, Koko, Sapele.
Return voyages: Forcados, Lagos, Cotonou, Accra, Saltpond, Sekondi, Grand Bassam, Cape Palmas, Grand Bassa, Monrovia, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Conakry, Tenerife, Madeira, Liverpool.
or
2) Liverpool, Madeira, Tenerife, Grand Canary (Las Palmas), Conakry, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Monrovia, Axim, Sekondi, Accra, Ada, Keta, Cotonou, Lagos, Forcados, Burutu, Warri, Koko, Sapele.
Return voyages: Forcados, Lagos, Cotonou, Keta, Ada, Accra, Saltpond, Sekondi, Axim, Assinie, Grand Bassam, Monrovia, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Conakry, Tenerife, Madeira, Liverpool.
?
?

(approx. 6 ships)
"Opobo" service:
Liverpool, Madeira, Grand Canary (Las Palmas), Tenerife, Dakar, Bathurst, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Cape Palmas, Grand Bassam, Sekondi, Cape Coast, Saltpond, Winneba, Accra, Lomé, Lagos, Bonny, Port Harcourt, Abonema, Opobo.
Return voyages: Opobo, Port Harcourt, Abonema, Bonny, Lagos, Lomé, Accra, Winneba, Cape Coast, Sekondi, Grand Bassam, Lahou, Cape Palmas, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Bathurst, Dakar, Grand Canary (Las Palmas), Liverpool.
The booklet also shows sailings from London, Hamburg/Rotterdam/Antwerp and New York to the West Coast of Africa.
There are no ships mentioned in the booklet. The names of the steamers operating the "Lagos Express" and the "Calabar" services are verified by another Elder Dempster schedule covering the same period.
Both African Steam Ship Co. and British & African Steam Navigation Co. were controlled by Elder Dempster. The fleet was distributed among the two companies, African Steam Ship Co. being the formal owners of the Adda, Abinsi, Ekari and Elmina, while British & African Steam Navigation Co. owned the Aba.

Sailings October 1929-March 1930
Vessel(s) Ports of call
Abinsi
Appam
Adda
(one return voyage only)
Liverpool, Bathurst, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Takoradi, Accra, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar.
Return voyages: Calabar, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Accra, Takoradi, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Bathurst, Madeira, Plymouth, Liverpool.
Accra
Apapa
Adda
Aba
Liverpool, Sierra Leone (Freetown), Monrovia (approx. every third voyage), Takoradi, Accra, Lagos.
Return voyages: Lagos, Accra, Takoradi, Monrovia (approx. every third voyage - in combination with or without Las Palmas or Tenerife), Sierra Leone (Freetown), Las Palmas (approx. every forth voyage) or Tenerife (approx. every forth voyage), Plymouth, Liverpool.

Click for larger view
Sailings January-June 1936
Vessel(s) Ports of call
Abosso
Adda
Liverpool, Madeira, Las Palmas (Abosso only), Freetown, Monrovia, Takoradi, Accra, Lagos, Calabar, Victoria.
Return voyages: Calabar, Lagos, Accra, Takoradi, Freetown, Las Palmas, Madeira, Plymouth, Liverpool.
Accra
Apapa
Liverpool, Madeira, Las Palmas, Bathurst, Freetown, Takoradi, Accra, Lagos, Port Harcourt.
Return voyages: Port Harcourt, Douala (Suellaba), Lagos, Accra, Takoradi, Monrovia, Freetown, Bathurst, Las Palmas, Madeira, Plymouth, Liverpool.

Sailings January-December 1953 for:
Aureol, Accra, Apapa

Ports of call:
Liverpool, Las Palmas, Bathurst, Freetown, Takoradi, Apapa

Sailings January-December 1962 (issued May 1961)
Vessel(s) Ports of call
Aureol
Accra
Liverpool, Las Palmas, Freetown, Takoradi, Lagos (Apapa)
Apapa Liverpool, Bathurst, Freetown, Takoradi, Lagos (Apapa).
Called also at Las Palmas on return voyages.
Calabar
Winneba
London, Madeira, Freetown, Takoradi, Lagos (Apapa).
Called also at Dover on return voyages.

Sailings December 1967-December 1968 (issued June 1967)
Vessel(s) Ports of call
Aureol
Accra
Liverpool, Las Palmas, Freetown, Monrovia, Tema, Lagos (Apapa).
Called at Takoradi (instead of Tema) on return voyages.
Apapa Liverpool, Bathurst, Freetown, Tema, Lagos (Apapa).
Called at Takoradi (instead of Tema) and at Las Palmas on return voyages.

*

See the archives section for more brochures of Elder Dempster Lines.
See also the shipping in 1971 section.

*

See also Palm Line.

*

Elder Dempster Lines fleet information, history etc. on the following website:

*

Mike Ingham's website on Elder Dempster Lines has company information and many photos of Elder Dempster liners.

*

You may use my images on another website.
Then please credit them as being from the collection of Björn Larsson,
and preferably provide a link to my Introduction page.
Thank you!

This page last updated June 24, 2019.