Catalogue description Goeland Transport and Trading Company

This series contains the records of the Goeland (Goeland = French codeword for seamew: S.E.A.M.E.W. = Society for Energetic Action by the Ministry of Economic Warfare) Transport and Trading Company Ltd., a company formed and wholly owned by H.M.Government.

From September 1939 the Government sought to reduce as much as possible the benefit derived by Germany from Danube shipping. Following a recommendation of Lord Hankey's Committee, the Goeland Company was formed in February 1940 to purchase, charter and operate vessels on the Danube including those (such as the Anglo-Danubian Transport Company's fleet) which were already under British control. The company was registered in London and all the directors were nominated by Government departments. The Ministry of Economic Warfare was initially responsible for policy, although the cost was borne on the Ministry of Shipping vote. In 1944 complete responsibility was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport.

The main achievement was the acquisition of fleets of Danube vessels in order to deny their use to Germany and to cause congestion in the river, but a contribution was also made by persuading some of the Danube pilots to leave their employment. The company's operations on the Danube were under the control of the General Manager who was attached to H.M.Legation in Bucharest until the German occupation of Roumania in 1941. In mid-1940 part of the company's fleet was evacuated to Istanbul in the charge of a manager, who returned to Bucharest in 1946 where he was attached first to the British Mission and later to H.M.Legation.

A number of lawsuits were associated with the Company's activities, notably that relating to the Societé Française de Navigation Danubiènne. The disposal of ships and the settlement of claims were protracted and the company was not wound up until 1960.