The Lowland Tanker Company was a British shipping company operating a small fleet of oil tankers on time-charter to BP.
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Founders | William Keswick & Robert Gillespie |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Parent | British Tanker Company (50%) Matheson (25%) Common Brothers (25%) |
History
editIn 1950 the British Tanker Company (BTC), for managerial and economic reasons, formed a separate associated company to operate ten oil tankers exclusively for BP cargos. BTC owned 50% of the company with 25% owned by Matheson, the maritime arm of Jardine Matheson, and 25% by the Newcastle ship-owners, Common Brothers, the latter company being tasked with the management of the ships.[1] A further five ships were bought in the early 1960s. The ships were taken over by the BP Tanker Company, successors to BTC, in 1976 with the minority shareholders in the company being bought out by BP in 1979.[2]
Ships
editThe first ten ships were constructed in the traditional style with the bridge and accommodation block in the centre of the ship and the engine rooms aft. The last five were built in what is now the standard layout, with all the superstructure aft leaving the tank deck clear. To distinguish them from BTC's own ships they had a tartan band painted on the funnel. After BPTC took them in-house the band was retained but with a BP logo superimposed on it.[3]
Fleet list
edit| Ship | In BTC Service | DWT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MV Border Regiment | 1952–1969 | 16,897 | Sold and renamed Fortuity. Scrapped 1975. |
| MV Border Keeper | 1953–1970 | 16,000 | Disposed 1970 |
| MV Border Lass | 1953–1970 | 16,548 | Sold and renamed Mikrasaitis. Resold 1974 and renamed Juanita H. Scrapped 1975. |
| MV Border Fusilier | 1954–1970 | 17,405 | Sold and renamed Nemeo. Scrapped 1975 |
| MV Border Hunter | 1954–1970 | 15,950 | Sold and renamed Nereide. Scrapped 1975. |
| MV Border Minstrel | 1954–1972 | 17,154 | Scrapped 1972. |
| MV Border Laird | 1955–1972 | 16,000 | Scrapped 1972. |
| MV Border Reiver | 1955–1970 | 17,405 | Sold and renamed Nicea. Scrapped 1976. |
| MV Border Sentinel | 1955–1970 | 15,968 | Sold and renamed Nettuno. Scrapped 1976. |
| MV Border Terrier | 1956–1972 | 16,028 | Scrapped 1972. |
| MV Border Pele | 1960–1976 | 20,784 | Sold 1981 and renamed Five Streams. Scrapped 1984. |
| MV Border Shepherd | 1960–1976 | 20,914 | Sold and renamed Mariverda IV. 1983 resold and renamed Al Nabila II. Scrapped 1993. |
| MV Border Castle | 1961–1976 | 19,925 | Sold and renamed Five Brooks. Attacked and set on fire by Iranian gunboats in 1986. Scrapped 1987. |
| MV Border Chieftain | 1961–1976 | 19,999 | Sold and renamed Achillett. 1987 resold and renamed Spiro. Scrapped 1988. |
| MV Border Falcon | 1961–1976 | 19,949 | Sold and renamed Gardenia B. Scrapped 1985. |
References
edit- ^ Ferrier, Ronald W; Bamberg, James (26 February 1982). The History of the British Petroleum Company. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521259509.
- ^ "Commons Brothers". The Allen Collection. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ "Lowland Tanker Co". Mandalay. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
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