The chosen nomenclature of Asiatic was that of Indian nobility and the first four ships built for the company were Shahjehan and Shahzada built in 1878 and Maharaja and Maharani built in 1879. Principally the ships design was for the carriage of cargo and coolies with little accommodation for first class passengers provided, its service at the outset was from its home port of Calcutta south around various smaller Indian ports and then north up to Bombay, again calling at ports en route, later Chittagong, Rangoon and Moulmain were added to its itinerary. 1904/5 the company sold on for further trading four of its oldest vessels, Shahzada, Maharaja, Shahjehan and Kohinur, they were replaced by ships carrying the same name.