P&O (formerly the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) was a British shipping and logistics company dating from the early 19th century.
P&O merged with the Orient Line in 1960 to form P&O-Orient Lines. The name Orient Line was dropped altogether in 1966.
In the 1970s, with the advent of cheap air travel and with ocean liners becoming increasingly expensive to run, P&O refocused its passenger operations on cruise ships. This culminated in the foundation of the subsidiary company P&O Cruises in 1977, under which P&O carried out its subsequent passenger operations.
