The world recovers from the war, and industry is working at full capacity. Motoring has its big breakthrough. Olof Wallenius, with his eye on the future, develops an entirely new kind of vessel for carrying cars.
The company is also one of Sweden's largest bulk and oil shipping companies, and carries vegetable oils, petroleum products and ore between destinations all over the world.
1958
Tanker traffic is operated in parallel with the growing car-carrying traffic. MT SOYA-ELISABETH is delivered. At 33,000 dwt, she is the largest tanker in the fleet to date.
The first subsidiaries abroad
Wallenius Lines forms a subsidiary in Germany - Wallenius Bremen GmbH.
1957
The bulk carriers are rebuilt
Car-carrying becomes increasingly important, and several of the dry-cargo vessels in the fleet are rebuilt to adapt them for the transport of cars.
1956
The company sets up its own network of agents
Wallenius Lines forges links with other companies, and starts to build up a network of agents around the world. During the 1950s, the company starts to collaborate with Cobelfret N.V., Antwerp, Karl Geuther & Co, Bremerhaven, Colley Motorships Ltd, Montreal and Fred F Noonan Company Inc of San Francisco. During the 1960s, Wallenius Lines establishes contacts with Broekman Motorships B.V. of Rotterdam, Mann & Son Ltd of London and Motorships Inc of New York.
1955
The world's first car carrier
The company's, and the world's, first purpose-built car carriers - MS RIGOLETTO and MS TRAVIATA - are delivered, laying the foundation of the company's specialisation in transoceanic car carrying.
The new vessels have four decks, with a capacity for 290 cars, which are loaded by crane. The length and beam of the vessels are adjusted to suit the locks on St Laurance seaways and the Great Lakes in North America.
1954
The first long-term car contract
Wallenius Lines signs the first long-term contract to carry vehicles, and is contracted to carry German, British and American cars between Europe and the USA.
1953
A new insertable car-deck concept
Olof Wallenius backs master Bengt Törnqvist's idea of customised vessels for carrying cars. His concept is to use bulk carriers in which car decks can be assembled in the hold for carrying cars, and then removed for bulk cargoes. The cars are loaded and unloaded with cranes or via a side ramp.
For the initial trials using insertable car decks, the company uses the chartered vessel, MS JAKARA.