How did shell oil company get its name?

Answer 1

It is recorded in fact that Marcus Samual and his brother, both British used to deal in British made machinery, textiles and tools circa 1890) They expanded their business to include antiques and later oriental SHELLS. They hoped to use these to get in to the fashion market which they reported did. During an overseas visit to Russia Samual identified the there was now a growing demand for crude oil.

They were the first to commission a fleet of steamships that were to use the newly opened Suez Channel to transfer the oil to the UK. However in the later years of the century Marcus became very aware of how reliant he was on the Russian supply chain and set out to start his own company to survey and source oils in other areas - Borneo was considered to be the first ideal area for exploration and whilst her Marcus Samual came up against a competitor, Royal Dutch Petroleum The 2 companies merged to fend off pressure from the biggest supplier Standard Oil. The named the organisation the Asiatic Petroleum Company. Later with numerous difficulties effecting the trading of the newly formed group oil discoveries in Texas facilitated offset benefit.

In around 1904, the pecten or scallop shell was used to replaced Shell Transports first marketing logo, the humble mussel shell. It is the scallop shell that we see today - born out of the initial SHELLs sold as fashion items 40 years previously