Australian National Line (ANL), the trading name for the Australian Coastal Shipping Commission, began operations on 1 January 1957, when it took over the fleet and personnel of the Australian Shipping Board. This new Commonwealth Government enterprise operated the largest fleet in coastal trade, ran passenger ships such as Princess of Tasmania and Empress of Australia that became household names, and from 1969 carried the Australian flag into international liner and bulk cargo trades to East Asia, UK/Europe, North America and New Zealand. ANL was at the forefront of innovation in bulk shipping, RoRo vessels and containerisation, also in the redesign of ports and terminals. Many of its 110 ships were built in Australia. Its impressive record of achievement eventually became overshadowed by financial woes, poor industrial relations and a difficult relationship with government that culminated in the sale of its container business to French owners in December 1998.

This fleet history, written and informed by the knowledge, experience and insight of those who sailed on and worked with the ships, weaves the stories of a complex forty-year transition from conventional shipping to modern bulk-handling and containers along with the nation-building role of the ANL, whose flag still flies proudly across the region as a subsidiary of French CMA CGM. Background chapters on the formation, development and demise of ANL are complemented by 44 chapters that detail the design, operation, incidents and post-ANL careers of every class of ship owned and/or operated by ANL up to 1999. The book is lavishly illustrated with over 300 images, most in colour, and will become an essential source on Australia's 20th century maritime history.

Includes bibliography and index of ship's names.