Dutch Houseflags of Shipping Companies [n]

Last modified: 2008-05-24 by jarig bakker
Keywords: naess | nautiek | nederland | nederlandsche lloyd |
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• Naess Shipping
• Nautiek
• Nederlandse Erts-Tankermaatschappij
• Nederlandse Norness Scheepvaart Mij
• Nederlandse Tank- en Paketvaart Maatschappij
• Nederlandse Vracht- en Tankvaart Mij
• Nederlands-Franse Scheepvaart Mij
• Neo Logistec Services
• Bunkerbedrijf Neptun
• Netherlands Government
• Netherlands Maritime Agencies
• Nieuwe Vlissingse Sleepdienst
• Van Nievelt, Goudriaan
• Nile Dutch Africa Line
• NIMV - possible NIMV-flag
• NISHM
• NIT
• Werf de Noord
• Northsea Ferries - other flag
• NSM

• Nederland
• Nederlandsche Koloniale Petroleum Maatschappij
• Nederlandsche Lloyd
• Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij
• Nederlandsch-Indische Stoomvaart Maatschappij
• Nederlandse Pacific Tankvaart (CALTEX)
• Nederlandse Scheepvaart Unie
• Van Nieuwpoort
• Noordzee
• NPRC

• The Netherlands
• The Netherlands - Index of all pages
• Houseflags of Dutch Shipping Companies
• Houseflags of Shipping Companies

Naess Shipping

Naess Shipping (Holland) B.V. (Diemen, NL); founded 1973.
Flag: red field, White diamond bordered black, black "N"
Source: Company website.
Dov Gutterman, 14 Oct 2003

Nautiek

N.V. Reederij "Nautiek", Rotterdam
Houseflag: five equally wide stripes of white and red; in the center of the central three stripes a white diamond fimbriated black, charged with black letter "B".
Image from Flagchart of houseflags of Dutch shipping companies, attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Oct 2003

Operated by W. Böhmers Scheepvaartbedrijf. In the mid 1970s the last vessel (they all had “Böhmer” family names) is shown in the ownership of Zeerederij H. Nefkens and operated by Böhmer Schepen B.V.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 Jan 2004

Nederlandse Erts-Tankermaatschappij

Nederlandse Erts-Tankermaatschappij N.V., Rotterdam (Managers Vinke & Co., Rotterdam).
Flag: three horizontal stripes of orange and black, proportioned 2:1:2, two white intertwined rings.
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Sep 2007

Nederlandse Norness Scheepvaart Mij

Nederlandse Norness Scheepvaart Maatschappij N.V., Amsterdam.
Flag: red field, white diamond, blue "N".
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Sep 2007

Nederlandse Tank- en Paketvaart Maatschappij

Houseflag of Nederlandse Tank- en Paketvaart Maatschappij, Amsterdam.
Image from Flagchart of houseflags of Dutch shipping companies, attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 1 Feb 2001

Nederlandse Vracht- en Tankvaart Mij

Nederlandse Vracht- en Tankvaart Maatschappij N.V., The Hague,
Flag: red field, white hoistdiagonal, black standing foul anchor.
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 17 Sep 2007

Nederlands-Franse Scheepvaart Mij

N.V. Nederlands-Franse Scheepvaart Maatschappij, Rotterdam.
Flag: blue field, red cross; in center white wheel.
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Sep 2007

Neo Logistec Services

NLS or Neo Logistic Services is a Dutch inland shipping firm established at Moerdijk, a small place between Dordrecht and Breda on the Hollands Diep, a former sea-arm where several rivers converge, leading straight into Zealand.

See following pages from Dutch IT supplier Autena, specialized in inland navigation, concerning the dedication and christening ceremony of two container ships belonging to NLS (second page reached by clicking “Meer foto’s” end of first page): On the photos the company logo is easily spotted: orange ground, black letters NLS flanked by three white horizontal stripes on either side.  On both pages we see logo flags, an extract of photo on second page, showing several flags at once.

We learn that NLS from that time on i.e. February 2002 operated eight container transport ships which is impressive, considering that the founding year was 2000; the fleet has expanded even more in the meantime. Both vessels, ‘ZKH de Prins van Oranje Willem-Alexander’ and ‘HKH Princess Maxima der  Nederlanden’, are featured on this Vlootschouw page (naming Bemmel as company seat!?).
Jan Mertens, 13 Nov 2006

Bunkerbedrijf Neptun

Dutch bunkering company 'Neptun' is based at Nijmegen on the River Waal (which, as we know, is the name given to the Rhine as soon as it crosses the German-Dutch border). Company website: A family business founded in 1926 with a view to servicing inland navigation, it is typical of its kind: fuel stock (no exclusivity), shop, and bunkering boats (in this case, two).
Vaguely visible on the boats shown on the site, the yellow-and black house flag is better viewed on the vessel ‘Duc in Altum’ (Vlootschouw page); on another Vlootschouw page, vessel ‘Vigilia’ (see drawn version lower on page), and here, on the ‘Abel-Niels’.
Horizontally divided yellow-black-yellow, ‘NEPTUN’ company name in yellow serifed letters on black stripe.
See also the old Nijmegen city flag (1953-1994) which may well have been the source of above house flag, while Neptune is the Roman sea-god.
Jan Mertens, 28 Oct 2006

Netherlands Government

Netherlands Government, Rotterdam - orange flag, at 1/3 flagheight three equally wide horizontal stripes of red, white and blue.
Source: Scott, R.M., The Caltex book of Flags and Funnels, Capetown, Caltex Africa Ltd. (1959).
Jarig Bakker, 10 Jan 2005

The flag is confirmed, though shown with the triband slightly lower so that the red and white only are in upper half, by an article, which is probably in De Blauwe Wimpel, by L.L. von Münching. The date of it appears to be 1960, the pages are 236-238 and it appears that it was used by emigrant ships to and from Indonesia post WW2.
Neale Rosanoski, 22 Jan 2005

Scheepvaart Maatschappij Trans-Oceaan 's-Gravenhage

After World War 2 the Dutch Government purchased three Victory ships which were converted into troop transport ships by the United States and renamed them WATERMAN, ZUIDERKRUIS and GROOTE BEER. The WATERMAN and ZUIDERKRUIS were managed by Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd and the GROOTE BEER was managed by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland.

They were used on the route Holland-Netherlands East India (NEI) to carry troops to the Dutch colony to restore the peace after the Japanese surrender when the Archipelago was in a turmoil. After the independence of the Republic Indonesia in 1948 all the Dutch troops were repatriated and a repatriation started of Dutch civilians who left Indonesia for Holland. In 1951 after this was completed, the three ships were rebuilt into emigrant carriers because many Dutch people decided to build a new life in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand and after the rebuilding the ZUIDERKRUIS was also managed by Stoomvaart Maatschappij
Nederland. After negotiations between the Dutch Government, Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd and Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland the shipping company Scheepvaart Maatschappij Trans Oceaan at s’-Gravenhage was founded in 1960 and the three ships were taken over by the new company.

In 1963 the emigrant transportation nearly came to an end and the GROOTE BEER and WATERMAN were sold to J. Latsis, Greece and used for cruises in the Mediterranean and the ZUIDERKRUIS went to the Dutch Navy as an accommodation ship. The shipping company Scheepvaart Maatschappij Trans Oceaan was later sometimes used by the Holland America Line to make student travel cruises with passenger ships under the flag of the Scheepvaart Maatschappij Trans Oceaan.
Source: this webpage.

Somewhere in the 1960's the Waterman was chartered by supporters of the Footballclub Feijenoord to transport them to Lisbon in order to watch FC Benfica - Feijenoord, accompanied by a Tango/Rumba Orchestra - it was the longest returnvoyage ever...
Jarig Bakker, 15 Nov 2007

Netherlands Maritime Agencies

Netherlands Maritime Agencies (Rotterdam) / Marco Shipping Netherlands.
Flag: horizontal tricolour of greyish green - dark red - blue with white letters shifted to the hoist in each stripe. From top to bottom: "nfa", "nma" and "msn".
Jorge Candeias, 14 Mar 1999

Source: Company's website.
Dov Gutterman, 21 Feb 1999

Nieuwe Vlissingse Sleepdienst

I stumbled over a Dutch tugboat recently – namely ‘De Ruyter’ at one time operated by the NV. Nieuwe Vlissingse Sleepdienst (i.e. New Flushing Towage Service) at Vlissingen, Zeeland province. See second photo of this Tugspotter page: showing a house flag repeating, up to a point, the funnel design: horizontally divided blue-orange-blue, narrow white stripes edging the central one. The funnel adds the stylized company acronym on a white disk.
The short-lived firm is presented by Nico J. Ouwehand in this on-line pdf file (in Dutch).
Just summarizing: founded by the well-known Smit Internationale and Smit-Spido at Vlissingen in 1971, taking over three tugs from SHV or Steenkolen Handelsvereeniging. First general manager was J.D. Wilton of both NRS (Nieuwe Rotterdamse Sleepdienst) and Spido, some tugs of NRS soon being added to help the new company. However the 1988  restructuring of Smit Internationale joined all towage operations under the name ‘Smit Haven’ using the Smit house style.
Jan Mertens, 31 Dec 2007

Van Nievelt, Goudriaan

Van Nievelt, Goudriaan & Co's Stoomvaart Maatschappij., N.V., Rotterdam.
Flag: blue with a five-pointed white star in the center; in the corners white letters VNGC.
Source: houseflagchart attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 22 Oct 2003

Nile Dutch Africa Line

Jan Mertens reported this link with mainly Dutch houseflags. Nile Dutch Africa Line.
Flag: white field; in center blue "nds"; in bottom blue "NILE DUTCH AFRICA LINE".
Jarig Bakker, 3 Mar 2005

NIMV

Found on this Vlootschouw page concerning the vessel ‘Alja’, very vaguely on the photo and somewhat clearer (but not much) end of page, the flag of NIMV or Noordelijk Internationaal Motorschippers Verband B.V. (Northern International Motor Shippers’ Association). Flag image found here. On a white flag is placed a broad ascending diagonal stripe, green, bearing white dotted initials NIMV, and accompanied by the Dutch colours in chief and a green stripe, much narrower, in base.

Website of NIMV cooperative, established at Groningen: We learn that the fleet consists of ten barges able to cruise all European inland waterways.  The ‘Historie’ section gives 1956 as the year of foundation by twelve inland navigation operators.  At first, regional (“northern”) products – potatoes, beet, peat – were shipped, then gradually the scope was enlarged by shipping loads – wheat, scrap iron, construction materials, etc.  – to and from Germany.
At one time, more than ninety small-sized boats were active but the trend to larger vessels held on and from a northern-oriented enterprise NIMV evolved into an organization active all over Europe including the Danube.
The ‘Schepen’ (ships) section shows a number of vessels most of them flying – hardly recognizable – above flag.
Jan Mertens, 7 Dec 2006

Unknown NIVM (?) flag

Last August Jarig sent me a giffed UFE, seen by him on a Rotterdam barge.  There are similarities – the blue ‘N’ stands out well and the green-white-green stripes ostensibly represent Rotterdam. On the other hand… could this be a spruced-up version of above NIMV house flag?
Jan Mertens, 7 Dec 2006

NISHM

N.V. Nederlandsch-Indische Steenkolen Handel-Maatschappij (Dutch-Indian Coal Trading Company), Amsterdam.
Flag: quartered green and red; white diamond, black "N.I.S.H.M."
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1951, [wed51].
Jarig Bakker, 30 Jan 2005

NIT

Nederlandsch Indische Tankstoomboot Maatschappij, The Hague.
Flag: red over blue; white diamond, yellow "N.I.T.".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 28 January 2005

Werf de Noord

The following site relates how the many shipyards and ship repair companies fared at Alblasserdam, a Dutch town on the River Noord, near Dordrecht, one of which was Werf (wharf) de Noord, founded in 1904 by J.U. Smit and two namesakes. The first boom period was WWI, when the Netherlands were neutral and built ships for Scandinavian countries, also neutral; after the war, de Noord helped reconstitute the depleted merchant fleets.

Having suffered in 1940, the company thrived after WWII, building various kinds of ships such as freighters, passenger ships, and minesweepers.  In 1962, de Noord merged with Van der Giessen, a wharf based at Krimpen aan de IJssel, to become ‘Van der Giessen – de Noord NV’.

The end of the Cold War around 1990 led to the terminanation of military vessel construction, while 9-11 indirectly led to a serious drop in the demand for ferry ships.  In 2003, the company was wound up due to lack of orders.

Shown as a drawing on above page, the house flag – probably the one in use before the merger – can be described as horizontally striped white-blue-white and having an additional blue stripe along the staff.   The caption mentions festive occasions for showing the flag explaining, I suppose, the presence of a narrow and long pennant, split, rendered in gold.

Background information, very critical, on the end of Van der Giessen-de Noord (in Dutch): In the middle of this page, two Alblasserdam monuments to the company i.e. shipbuilders and the “tulip” symbolizing the business departments, respectively.
Jan Mertens, 12 Dec 2006

Northsea Ferries

Jan Mertens reported this link with mainly Dutch houseflags. Northsea Ferries.
Flag: slanting vertical stripes blue - white - bright blue - white, with on bright blue the firm's logo.
Jarig Bakker, 3 Mar 2005

Northsea Ferries other flag

North Sea Ferries (Noordzee Veerdiensten N.V.), Rotterdam.
Flag: orange field, black 4-pointed star.
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 18 Sep 2007

NSM

Nationale Stoomvaart Maatschappij, Rotterdam.
Flag: horizontal triband red - white - blue, proportioned c. 2:3:2; on white "NSM" in black.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 27 January 2005