Compagnie Fraissinet

The Compagnie Fraissinet, a Marseilles-based shipping line, played an important role in trade and immigration flows in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Western Africa and Latin America. The Compagnie Fraissinet added Northern America (New York NY, Providence RI, Chicago IL, Cleveland OH, Detroit MI and Montreal Quebec) to its routes after a merger with the Compagnie Française de Navigation à Vapeur Cyprien Fabre & Cie (Fabre Line). The Compagnie Fraissinet operated for close to 150 years through two World Wars, several revolutions, and the colonization and decolonization periods. The Fraissinet family started divesting from shipping activities in the 60s to concentrate on aviation and media. Fraissinet lowered its flag in 1968, the tanker Alfred-Fraissinet being the last ship of the company. Fabre kept on operating until 1979.

Compagnie Fraissinet was founded in January 1836 in Marseilles by Marc Fraissinet, the son of a Protestant merchant from Languedoc. Fraissinet's first ship was the Marseillais. In 1837, two new ships were built, Rhône and Hérault. In 1841, Fraissinet bought the company and extended the line to Nice. Initially supported by the French government, Fraissinet's projet of a line to New York and the Gulf of Mexico eventually aborted. In 1846, Fraissinet appointed his son Adolphe as deputy director of the company; the lines were extended to Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal.

The company was renamed Compagnie Marseillaise de Navigation à Vapeur in 1853. Isabelle, the first screw-propelled vessel of the company, inaugurated the next year the first scheduled line between Algeria andLe Havre (Marseilles-Algiers-Spain-Portugal-Le Havre). The short-lived line was suppressed after the collision of Normandie with a Dutch ship in 1857.

In 1860 the company, operating ten vessels, had to face an increased competition on the Italian market. Fraissinet extended his lines to Naples and Levant, increased the capital of the company and purchased six new ships in 1865. The same year, Fraissinet purchased Bazin, the first steamship company founded in Marseilles. One year later, the Fraissinet company had a capital of 9 millions francs and operated 15 steamers.Scheduled lines with Corsica and Leghorn were established in 1868. Asie, heading to India, was the first merchant vessel to sail on the Suez Canal (8 January 1870). In 1870, Fraissinet owned 20 vessels, operating scheduled lines to Bombay, Malta, Port Said, Constantinople, Italy, Corsica and Languedoc. Due to the Franco-Prussian war, the service to India was suppressed, the service to Corsica was postponed and several ships were sold.

Fraissinet resurfaced in 1874 as Nouvelle Société Maritime de Navigation à Vapeur (Compagnie Fraissinet). The company was granted the postal service to Corsica by the French government. In 1878, a line was established between Sète and Genoa, while the existing Levant lines was extended to Palestine and Odessa. On 18 December 1878, the Byzantin sunk off Gallipoli, causing the death of c. 150 of the 250 passengers of the ship. In 1889, Fraissinet was granted the postal service to West Africa and Congo. The Corsican company Morelli (five ships) was taken over by Fraissinet in 1892.

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