| 1860 | Robert Ropner is employed by shipowners T Appleby and Co,
Hartlepool |
| 1866 | Ropner becomes a partner in T Appleby and Co |
| 1874 | The Appleby business is split between Appleby and Ropner.
Ropner takes ownership of four ships, trading with China and the
Baltic Sea area |
| 1887 | Ropner buys M Pearse Shipyard in Stockton (North East England).
`Maltby` is the first ship made there for the company, starting the
tradition of its ships ending in `-by` |
| 1903 | Ropners creates a subsidiary, Pool Shipping Company |
| 1918 | Twenty-eight of the company`s fleet of fifty-seven ships were
sunk during World War I |
| 1924 | Robert Ropner dies |
| 1925 | The company`s Stockton yard is closed |
| 1935 | Ropners` first turbine-driven vessels, `Clearpool` and `Harmby`
are delivered |
| 1946 | Thirty-three of the company`s ships are lost during World War
II. A liner service starts between Europe and the ports in the Gulf
of Mexico after the war |
| 1948 | Ropner Shipping and Pool Shipping merge to form Ropner Holdings
Ltd |
| 1955 | `Thornaby`, the company`s first tanker, is brought into
service |
| 1963 | A policy of diversification is implemented, leading the company
into engineering, insurance broking and property ownership |
| 1963 | A policy of diversification is implemented, leading the company
into engineering, insurance broking and property ownership |
| 1971 | A partnership with the Norwegian Bulk Carriers consortium
begins. The company`s first bulk carriers `Rudby` and `Iron
Sumersby` are delivered |
| 1997 | The company is taken over by Jacobs Holdings Plc, and
concentrates on ship management, rather than direct ship
ownership
The company currently manages the Dart Line fleet of Ro Ro vessels
and provides consultancy services |
