The Hull & Netherlands Steamship Co. Ltd. was formed in 1894 and brought together the shipping operations of C.L.Ringrose and W.H.H.Hutchinson with the intention of concentrating their shipping services to that specific area of operation. In 1907 they upgraded their fleet which provoked interest from the North Eastern Railway. In 1908 the company was taken over by the railway company and subsequently operated as a subsidiary within their group operations. In 1923 the North Eastern Railway and its subsidiaries were absorbed into the LNER as part of the rationalisation of the rail industry in the U.K.