Olof Wallenius was born in 1902. His first company, Grosshandelsfirman Olof Wallenius, traded in empty barrels. Olof Wallenius eventually became an agent for Karlshamns Oljefabriker, and expanded his business to include the distribution by truck of soya oil in barrels.
Wallenius soon realised that the most efficient way of handling the distribution of soya oil from Karlshamn was on small coastal tankers, and he therefore set up a shipping company, Rederi AB Soya.
1939
The company acquires its own oil depot
Newly established Cisterna AB builds tanks for the storage of vegetable oils and petroleum products on Lidingö.
The first Swedish reefer
The company orders MS ALSTERUFER, Sweden's first reefer, but sells her prior to delivery.
1936
Larger offices
The company needs more space, and so moves its offices one block down the road to Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 7. This is the only time in the company's history when the office address has not been on Swedenborgsgatan.
1935
More cargoes, more vessels
The business grows. The cargoes now include various types of vegetable and mineral oils, which are shipped in coastal and Baltic traffic. More tankers are added to the fleet, and between 1935 and 1940, the MT SOYA II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII are put into service.
1934
The first vessel
Olof Wallenius forms Rederi AB Soya and purchases his first vessel, which is named MT SOYA. The vessel has a capacity of 125 tonnes. The company opens offices at Swedenborgsgatan 6, near Mariatorget on Söder in Stockholm.