House Flags of German Shipping Companies (o) - part1

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (o) - Teil 1

Last modified: 2019-07-10 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: oberweser dg | oct | oceanic fruits | odin | oetling | offen | offshore | ohl | oldendorf | olea | oltmann |
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• Oberweser Dampfschiffahrt
• Ocean Chartering und Transport
• Rhederei A.-G. 'Oceana'
• Oceanic Fruits
• Odin Reederei
• Ölhandel- und Transport GmbH
• Oetling Gebrüder
• Emil Offen
• Klaus Peter Offen
• Offshore Supply Association
• Oberrheinischer Hafen- und Flußbau (OHF)
• Bernhard Ohl
• Jürgen Ohle
• Egon Oldendorf
• Olea Tankschiffahrt
• D. Oltmann & Co.
• Gerhard Oltmann

• House Flags of German Shipping Companies
• House Flags of Shipping Companies
• Germany

Oberweser Dampfschiffahrt

The company was based in Hameln organised tourist triips in the 1920ies on the upper course of Weser River between (Hannoversch) Münden, where is the confluence of Werra and Fulda, and Hameln. The season was between May and September.
The flag was a red-white-red horizontal triband. The white stripe was charged by a yellow millwheel , superimposed by a black milrind, the wheel was flanked by two black anchors, one in bend and the other in bend sinister. Wheel and milrind are taken from the city arms of Hameln.
Source: I spotted this flag in the Duisburg Inland Shipping Museum on 24 Sep 2016.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 July 2019

Ocean Chartering und Transport

O C T- Ocean Chartering und Transport; Mühle & Sachs GmbH & Co - OCT is a ship broker company which is located at Johannisbollwerk 19 in Hamburg. Its flag is plain white with dark blue, almost black, serifed capitals "OCT".
Source: I spotted this flag on 13 March 2007 at the company's headquarter.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Sep 2008

Rhederei A.-G. "Oceana"

According to source Hamburg shipowners register provides evidence of the company's existence at least from 1909 until 1914. The blue flag is divided by a yellow saltire. In the centre is a yellow oval containing a black initial "O".
Source: Otto Mathies: "Hamburgs Reederei 1814 - 1914", Hamburg 1924, p.221
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Jul 2012

Oceanic Fruits

Oceanic Fruits Shipping and Trading GmbH was established by Hani Nasri, a Syrian, in 1976 in Swasiland, probably named Oceanic Africa Fruit Co. Ltd.. The company had local branches in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. The purpose was support of fruit farmers by know-how, technical support and worldwide marketing of citrus fruits. There also existed a partnership with a Hamburgian shipping company (probably H.Schuldt). So in 1982 a new HQ in Hamburg was opened together with a shipping line from South Africa to the Middle East.
During the last years another business was established, transport of bananas from Ecuador and Mexico to the Middle East all year long.The company today has branches in Cape Town, Paris, Jebel Ali (UAE), Guayaquil and Villahermosa.
Source: company's webpage
Description of flag:
It is a green over white over black horizontal tricolour. In the middle of the white stripe are red capitals "HN"(=Hani Nasri), having one vertical line in common. The flag seems to be inspired by a former Syrian flag, showing the panarabic colours.
Source: I identified this flag on 24 September 2009 in front of the HQ at Osakaallee 11 in Hamburg.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 Oct 2009

Odin Reederei

Odin Reederei ges.mbH
The company was located in Lübeck-Schlutup. It is a yellow over red over yellow horizontal triband with a diamond of total flag in its centre having the colours darkblue-white-red.
Source: ?Flaggen, Schornsteine, Reedereien- Flaggen und Schornsteine der deutschen Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT?; Hamburg 1957; p.F20
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Apr 2009

Ölhandel- und Transport GmbH

The company started in 1938 as Bremen branch of Ölfabrik Gro?-Gerau, bought an own vessel GERMANIA, technical ship management and operative consulting were maintained by "UNITAS" Deutsche Walfangges. mbH, located in Hamburg and used also the funnel of that company. The vessel had been bought in order to ship whale oil, was however used for mineral oil and petrol transports. The company was dissolved in 1949 and incorporated into Ölhandel- und Transport GmbH, located in Bremen. This company had connections to Unilever group very early.
In 1953 two vessels, the tanker TEMA PALM and the freighter SAPELE PALM were built, using the flags and funnels of Palm Line. Due to subsidiaries of German Government the company was run under German colours. In 1960 the company was completely incorporated into Palm Line.
Source: information given by Klaus-Peter Bühne

Flag#1:
It is a green flag divided by a white saltire. In its centre is a white disc containing a green palm tree. It is the same flag like that one of /Palm Line/.
Source: photo of a table flag, shot by , Klaus-Peter Bühne

Flag#2:
It is a green flag divided by a white saltire. In its centre is a white disc containing an inscription in green unserifed capitals "ÖTG", the "T" having at least double height.
Source: "Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen"; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.30,
Please note, that source is showing this flag together with an ordinary Palm Line funnel. Klaus-Peter Bühne claims, that this flag never was used at sea.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2010

Oetling Gebrüder

Oetling Gebrüder - The company used a white flag with black serifed capital letters "OG".
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; cover inside.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Mar 2007

Emil Offen

On the German vexlist Jörg Karaschewski asked whether someone knew a flag offered for sale at the German Ebay - which according to the vendor is a flag probably used between the end of the Reichswehr and the beginning of the Wehrmacht; because the flag has no forbidden emblems on it it is safe to buy it from 200 Euro on. Within an hour Mr. Karaschewski corrected himself: it was just the houseflag of Hanseatischen Reederei  Emil Offen & Co. Hamburg. <Nun habe ich mich doch von diesem blödsinnigen Wehrmachtsgesabbel in die Irre führen lassen. - fooled again by 'em idiots talking 'bout Wehrmacht, &c>.
Jarig Bakker, 11 Sep 2004

It may be added that the vendor of the flag alludes to some sort of a Wehrmacht marking which can be discerned slightly on the photo. Jörg Karaschewski supposes that it was added to increase the price, "a finger exercise of a vexillologist" he writes. A hint to be generally suspicious about imprints on historical flags until their
authenticity is clarified. Although the colloquial term "Gesabbel" is used exclusively in Germany, I suppose it refers here more to the imprint on the flag (scribbling, scrawniness) than to the vendor's descriptions?
Martin Karner, 12 Sep 2004

Klaus Peter Offen

Klaus Peter Offen K.G. Reederei, Hamburg - 5 horizontal stripes of blue and white, proportioned c. 2:1:6:1:2 - in center a widened cross formy.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 27 Sep 2005

Offshore Supply Association

Offshore Supply Association, Bremen - white flag, blue circle, black "osa" over blue wavy stripe.
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 22 Feb 2006

OHF Hafen- und Flußbau

OHF Hafen- und Flußbau GmbH (i.e. OHF Port and River Constructors) is a German firm with shipping connections established at Au am Rhein which is, unsurprisingly, on the Rhine (south of Karlsruhe, near the end of river's French stretch). It was founded in 1987; the initial "O" represents 'Oberrheinischer', meaning Upper Rhenish.
This homepage (German only) lists the various fields of activity right away:
Suffice it so say that most of them are indeed waterway related and cover the entire spectrum from design to execution, be it new structures or the adapting of existing ones - from repairing quaysides to building a yacht harbour or a container terminal. This highly specialized work calls for special equipment among which are a certain amount of vessels: to get an idea, have a look at the references ("Referenzen", upper menu).
Apart from the flagoid on above site plus an admittedly big item on a swimming crane no clear house flag picture was found , waving on vibration ramrod vessel MS 32!
Then there is the ever welcome German eBay table flag found in offer no. 220120375431 (end 19 Jun 2007) put up by "kaethedorsch1". Divided per saltire blue (top, bottom) and white (hoist, fly) and a white discoid with black outline in the centre, bearing black initials "OHF" without serifs. "Discoid" as the rim is not quite circular but octagonal with eight nicks. This figure may represent something technical but then we may be reasonably certain that when seen from a distance it resembles a disk.
Additional information is given here (p. 8 and pp. 4 & 7, respectively): here
Jan Mertens, 31 July 2009

Bernhard Ohl

Bernhard Ohl
The company was located in Ulsnis/Schlei (near Schleswig). It is a blue over white over red horizontal tricolour, the colours of Schleswig-Holstein, they are superimposed by a white lozenge, fimbriated black and containing black capitals ?BO?. The lozenge is touching the edges of the flag.
Source: ?Flaggen, Schornsteine, Reedereien- Flaggen und Schornsteine der deutschen Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT?; Hamburg 1957; p.F20.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Apr 2009

Jürgen Ohle

The company is located in Drochtersen (Stade county). The flag is divided per saltire into yellow (hoist and fly) and white (top and bottom), the colours of former Hannover province. In the centre is a blue inscription "JO", both letters are intertwined.
Source: Verband Deutscher Reeder homepage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Jul 2012

Egon Oldendorf

Blue flag with large white letters 'EO' in a sans-serif font.
Santiago Dotor, 10 May 2005

Olea Tankschiffahrt

Olea Tankschiffahrtsges. mbH
The company was located in Hamburg. It is a blue flag divided by a black centred cross fimbriated white. In the centre of fimbriation are thin black lines. In the centre of the flag is a white disc, fimbriated black and containing a black capital ?O?.
Source: ?Flaggen, Schornsteine, Reedereien- Flaggen und Schornsteine der deutschen Reedereien und ihre Schiffe über 300 BRT?; Hamburg 1957; p.F20.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Apr 2009

D. Oltmann & Co.

D. Oltmann & Co., K.G., Bremen - blue flag, white diamond, red "O".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95]
Jarig Bakker, 27 Nov 2005

Gerhard Oltmann

Reederei Ges(chwister?) Gerhard Oltmann K.G., Drochtersen - yellow over white with several concentric diamonds, blue "O".
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95] [incorrect image replaced by version sent by Neale Rosanoski, ed.]
Jarig Bakker, 9 Nov 2005

Gerhard Oltmann. Origins go back to 1.2.1862 when Jürgen Oltmann bought the sailing vessel "Aurora" with the family company currently run by the 5th generation. Originally based in Drochtersen they shifted in 1998 to Fredenbeck. The modern company began in 1962 as Reederei Gerhard Oltmann K.G. (Lloyds) or Reederei Gesellschaft Gerhard Oltmann K.G. (Brown 1995) changing in 1989 to the present day name of Schiffahrtsgesellschaft Oltmann Verwaltung mbH. The flag version shown by Brown is either incorrect or there has been a change, but the modern version which is proudly [and one wishes that other companies were so inclined] detailed on their website, showing the diamond is within the field, with the following description:

"The company flag is a symbol for the relation of the family with the home-country and north-german tradition.
The colours yellow / white represent the local department of Hannover.
These are the colours of the "Welfen" the kings of Hannover.
The colour black / white / red represent the national colours.
These date back to 1867 as colours of the "North German Alliance" and the first flag of the merchant navy.
The colour blue together with the colour white represents the city of Stad".
Neale Rosanoski, 14 May 2009

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