NAIC 483113

Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

24companies1822–1983founding years24still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Groupe Bolloré
Active · founded 1822 · France
Groupe Bolloré is a diversified industrial conglomerate with leadership status in most of its operating areas.
Groupe Bolloré
Active · founded 1822 · France
Groupe Bolloré is a diversified industrial conglomerate with leadership status in most of its operating areas.
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Active · founded 1851 · France
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Active · founded 1851 · France
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Active · founded 1851 · France
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
Active · founded 1851 · France
Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A.
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1872 · Hong Kong
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1872 · Hong Kong
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
Sunoco, Inc.
Active · founded 1890
Sunoco, Inc.
Sunoco, Inc.
Active · founded 1890
Sunoco, Inc.
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.
Active · founded 1900
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., one of the original 'Big Five' Hawaiian companies, is a diversified corporation with…
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.
Active · founded 1900
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., one of the original 'Big Five' Hawaiian companies, is a diversified corporation with…
Crowley Maritime Corporation
Active · founded 1906
Crowley Maritime Corporation is the largest operator of tugboats and barges in the world.
Crowley Maritime Corporation
Active · founded 1906
Crowley Maritime Corporation is the largest operator of tugboats and barges in the world.
Attica Enterprises S.A.
Active · founded 1918 · Greece
Greece's Attica Enterprises S.A.
Attica Enterprises S.A.
Active · founded 1918 · Greece
Greece's Attica Enterprises S.A.
Cargill, Incorporated
Active · founded 1936
Cargill, Incorporated is the largest private corporation in the United States.
Cargill, Incorporated
Active · founded 1936
Cargill, Incorporated is the largest private corporation in the United States.
Kirby Corporation
Active · founded 1969
As the largest inland barge operator in the United States, Kirby Corporation and subsidiary Kirby Inland Marine LP…
Kirby Corporation
Active · founded 1969
As the largest inland barge operator in the United States, Kirby Corporation and subsidiary Kirby Inland Marine LP…
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1977 · South Korea
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd., a Korean global carrier, was established in 1977 by its family-run parent conglomerate, the…
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd.
Active · founded 1977 · South Korea
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd., a Korean global carrier, was established in 1977 by its family-run parent conglomerate, the…
APL Limited
Active · founded 1983
APL Limited, formerly called the American President Companies Ltd., operates container shipping services by container…
APL Limited
Active · founded 1983
APL Limited, formerly called the American President Companies Ltd., operates container shipping services by container…
Build It Today

Starting a coastal and great lakes freight transportation company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.