| Industry | Transport |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Orient Overseas Container Line |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Hartlepool, UK |
| Key people | Sir James Steel (Chairman) |
Furness Withy was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The Company was founded by Christopher Furness and Henry Withy in 1891 in Hartlepool.[1] This was achieved by the amalgamation of the Furness Line of steamers with the business of Edward Withy and Co., iron and steel shipbuilders and repairers, of West Hartlepool.[2] An early acquisition in 1900 was a controlling interest in Richardsons Westgarth & Company, a marine engineering business.[2] It started with 18 vessels and over the subsequent years it owned in excess of a thousand ships.[3] It bought the Prince line in 1916.[1]
The Furness family sold its interests in the Company to a consortium led by Frederick Lewis, a Director in the business, in 1919.[1] The Company acquired the Red Cross Line in 1928 and Royal Mail Lines (formerly Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, once the largest shipping group in the world) in 1965.[4] In 1968 it went on to buy the Houlder Group, a company with offshore oil interests.[5]
In 1969 British and Commonwealth Shipping, Furness Withy, P&O and The Ocean Steamship Company established Overseas Containers Limited to exploit containerisation.[6] Furness Withy bought Manchester Liners in 1970.[7]
The Company was acquired by the Orient Overseas Container Line of Hong Kong in 1980.[3]