In 1885, steamships of the Woermann-Linie began providing mail service between Germany and the West African colonies on the Linie Hamburg-Westafrika.

This route would continue until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, with the Woermann ships as the primary vessels on the route.  Vessels of other shipping companies would occasionally be chartered to supplement the service, primarily during periods in which Germany needed to transport large numbers of troops and supplies to Deutsch-Südwestafrika for service in the native rebellions.

In addition to the steamers built for the Germany-to-Africa voyage, the Woermann-Linie also operated a group of coastal steamers build for the express purpose of carrying local traffic within the coastal ports of the African colonies.