History

  • 1873 - 1920

    Rix dates back to 1873 when a legendary sea Captain and Merchant Adventurer called Robert Rix traded out of the Port of Hull. Robert Rix started in business as a shipbuilder, building small coasting craft on the Southbank of the River Tees in Stockton.

  • 1920 - 1940

    Rix success story started in 1927 with Robert Rix and Sons importing tractor vaporising oil for the post war agricultural revolution. Lamp oil, packed in oak casks was also carried from Russia to the Humber on Rix ships. In 1939 Rix owned eleven ships spread between four companies.

  • 1940 - 1950

    The company's first major expansion occurred at the end of the Second World War with the easing of wartime restrictions on the sale of oil and petrol. On the 1st January 1947 Robert Rix’s eldest son John Robert Rix, the Grandfather of the present Chairman, formed J. R. Rix and Sons with a working capital of £7,000 and one motor ship. Supplying agricultural and commercial diesel customers throughout Yorkshire’s East Riding, "old man Robert" as he was fondly called, also established petrol filling stations in the Hull area.

  • 1950 - 1990

    Rix enjoyed another major growth surge during the 1950's and 1960's, brought on by the popularity and low cost of oil-fired central heating and an increased demand for diesel from the ever-expanding road transport industry. Rix Shipping Co Ltd was formed on 23rd March 1950.

    In the early 60's Rix Limes Ltd was formed to supply lime to the Scottish agricultural market through an extensive network of inland depots serviced by road/rail from Montrose where it was imported on Rix dry cargo ships. This lime was sourced from Humber quarries and transported by rail to Hull docks for forwarding to Montrose where it was discharged by J. M. Piggins Ltd, later to become Piggins Rix Ltd, the Rix Group’s first owned interest in Scotland. Shortly after this an opportunity arose to build a fuel depot in Montrose servicing the extensive offshore industry and this in turn soon developed into Rix’s domestic heating oil, agricultural and haulage sectors.

  • 1990 - 2004

    Already a substantial business in the Ridings of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the North Midlands, Rix consolidated its East Scotland presence with the acquisition of John Walton & Son in April 2000. This further reinforced Rix’s position in the domestic, agricultural, haulage and retail sectors.

  • 2005 - 2007

    In 2007 Rix operated a fleet of five dry cargo ships with a total carrying capacity of some 12,000 tons. When not employed between the UK and Baltic these ships are engaged on individual voyage charters and the company maintain a high presence in and around the Hull and East Yorkshire area. The schedule allowed for a weekly service to and from Tallinn, Riga, and Klaipeda using Hull as the main UK port.

  • 2008 - present

    The Rix maritime tradition continues to this day with a fleet of coastal dry cargo vessels trading across the North Sea and into the Baltic. In the autumn of 2008 Rix also launched its brand new 2000 tonne oil tanker, the LizRix, named after Elizabeth, the daughter of JR Rix and Sons Managing Director, Tim Rix.

    There has been further investment in our petroleum business, with the opening of dry & wet depots in Mercia, Alnwick, Bramall, The Midlands, Spalding and Aberdeen.

    The Rix Shipping business including Piggins Rix based in Hull and Scotland has also seen some significant investment, buying new premises at Hull as well as modernising the existing warehouse facilities at Montrose.