Sign in

Private company

Union Company

New Zealand shipping company

Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the Southern Hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scottish shipbuilder, Peter Denny. Bought by shipping giant P&O around the time of World War I it was sold in 1972 to an Australasian consortium and closed at the end of the twentieth century.2 It is part of Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1875Founded1
  • Industrywater transport1
  • HeadquartersLondon1
  • Founded inDunedin1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Union steamship co flag
Photo: User:Pumbaa80 derivative work: Philphos ( talk ), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the Southern Hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scottish shipbuilder, Peter Denny. Bought by shipping giant P&O around the time of World War I it was sold in 1972 to an Australasian consortium and closed at the end of the twentieth century.2

Corporate structure

Union Company is part of a group headed by Dubai World. 30 entities, 7 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Dubai World Dubai
    • DP World Dubai, United Arab Emirates
      • Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company London
      • P&O Ferries Subsidiary · Dover
      • DP World FZE Subsidiary · 100% · Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates
        • دي بي وورلد لوجيستكس م م ح Subsidiary · Dubai, United Arab Emirates
      • Imres B.V. Subsidiary · 100% · Lelystad, Netherlands
      • ANTWERP GATEWAY Subsidiary · Beveren, Belgium
      • DP WORLD CRESCENT LIMITED Subsidiary · George Town, Cayman Islands
      • DP WORLD GLOBAL INVESTMENT B.V. Subsidiary · Rotterdam, Netherlands
        • DP WORLD INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT B.V. Subsidiary · Rotterdam, Netherlands
      • DP World Logistics Europe B.V. Subsidiary · Tilburg, Netherlands
        • DP World Logistics Germany B.V. & Co. KG Subsidiary · Duisburg, Germany
          • 4 more
      • HINDUSTAN INFRALOG PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
        • DP WORLD COLD CHAIN LOGISTICS PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · 100% · Mumbai, India
        • NHAVA SHEVA BUSINESS PARK PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · 100% · Mumbai, India
      • HINDUSTAN PORTS PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
        • CONTAINER RAIL ROAD SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · 100% · Mumbai, India
        • CHENNAI CONTAINER TERMINAL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Chennai, India
        • INDIA GATEWAY TERMINAL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Ernakulam, India
        • MUNDRA INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TERMINAL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Kutch, India
        • NHAVA SHEVA INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TERMINAL PRIVATE LIMITED Subsidiary · Mumbai, India
    • Istithmar World Subsidiary · Dubai

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Founded by James Mills in 1875, in Dunedin.1

Leadership

Who has led Union Company, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 2000Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1875Founded Founded in Dunedin1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3