Blue Star Line (BSL) Minutes: includes the companies Blue Star Ship Management Ltd, Blue Star Offsite Ltd, Blue Star (North America) Ltd, Austasia Line Ltd.

Administrative / biographical background
The Company has its origins in Liverpool, with the Vestey family developing a butchery business. They were one of the first businesses to introduce refrigeration into their shops. Previously butchers had to sell off meat at reduced prices on Saturday, the shops being closed on a Sunday. The Blue Star Line was originally founded by the Vestey family to carry eggs and other perishables from China. The company was formally registered on 28th July 1911 and the first ships were registered with Lloyds Register of Shipping between 1912-1913. Prior to World War I, seven refrigerated ships sailed under the Blue Star Line banner, carrying eggs and other perishables to England from China. By the First World War it had 12 vessels, all their names starting with Brod after Evelene Brodstone. A considerable profit was made over these years with the carriage of beef to supply the allied armies in France. It was not until 1920 that the familiar "Stars" began to appear the first being the Albion Star. By 1939 the company traded some 38 vessels. On the outbreak of WWII, most of the vessels were commandeered by the British Government, continuing to carry much needed food to the United Kingdom. Many of the ships being fast for the period and sailed unaccompanied with the result that by the end of WWII some 29 ships and 646 Blue Star personnel lost their lives. Including 11 captains, 47 navigating and 88 engineering officers. After WWII the company rebuilt the fleet by new building and the purchase of some second hand tonnage. Notable among the new building was the replacement Plate or so called "A"-boats. These cargo passenger ships, the Argentina Star , Brasil Star, Paraguay Star , and Uruguay Star carried some 68 passengers and hanging chilled beef. On a 7-week turn round they sailed from London's Royal Victoria Dock calling at Southampton, Lisbon, Las Palmas, occasionally Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Montevideo and finally terminating at Buenos Aires. The cargo of chilled beef was loaded directly from the company's meat works in Dock Sud in Buenos Aires, taking 7 days. Some general cargo and small quantities of refrigerated cargoes such as fish were carried on the outbound passage. The company continued trading successfully during the post war years, with operations as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, West and East Coasts of the U.S., South America and Central America, the latter on the banana trades. The company finally was disposed of in 1998 to P&O Nedlloyd , complete with its name and ship's livery including the famous funnel. While most of the container vessels including those formally operating as ACT vessels were also sold to P&O Nedlloyd, most of the refrigerated liner ships were retained in the Vestey organisation under the ownership of Albion Reefers.