The Estonian Shipping Company, ESCO, with the registered name in Estonian: AS Eesti Merelaevandus, is the oldest ship-owning company in Estonia. The company focuses on shipowning and management of container/multipurpose and ro-ro vessels, providing full commercial ship- and operational management including financial- and accounting services.

ESCO has proud traditions. Its roots date back from the middle of the 20th century. A remarkable illustration of the shipping activities of ESCO has been ownership and management of ferries, timbercarriers, bulkcarriers, operating both in the tramp market, as well as managing liner activities. These liner acitivities involved a.o. approximately 30 years of shipping between Europe and West Africa, but focus has always been on trade between Estonian and Scandinavian ports.

In 1999 the full privatisation of ESCO was completed, having started on the initiative of the Estonian Government in 1997.

The privatisation brought together ESCO's traditions, good tangible assets and a favourable market position combining it into an active and modern thinking shipping company. By now ESCO is the major shipping company in the Baltic states, based on Norwegian private capital through the ownership of ESCO by Norwegian shipping company Tschudi Shipping Company AS.

The current fleet of ESCO consists of 8 vessels (see the vessel's description), 4 of which are managed by ESCO ("Muuga", "Dirhami", "Virtsu", "Vergi"), the rest 100% owned. Crewing and technical management of ESCO vessels is handled by Tschudi Ship Management AS, owned by Tschudi Shipping Company AS.