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House Flags of German Shipping Companies (o)

Deutsche Reedereiflaggen (o)

Last modified: 2019-07-10 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: opielok | orient-linie | orion | ossenbrueggen | ostasiatische hg | oste | ostermoor | ostsee dg | o'swald | ott | ottens |
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[Germany] 3:5 image by António Martins-Tuválkin See also:

On Time Shipping (OTS)

[On Time Shipping (OTS)] image by , based on a photo located by Jan Mertens, 27 Mar 2011

OTS (i.e. On Time Shipping) GmbH is a German inland shipping company established at Nierstein on the Rhine with a local office at Duisburg. Website, German only: here
Founded in 1997 as SKS Transport GmbH, at Bodenheim, the company became OTS on severing relations with the founding firms, active in the transportation of building materials (2001) followed by the removal to Nierstein one year later.
In 2005, OTS was officially recognized as a waste removal company while in 2010, the company took over 58% of the shares in FSK Hamburg. Now employing ten people, OTS cooperates with a number of private barge owners. Should you want a breakdown of goods delivered, have a look at: this pie chart, where gravel and sand take first place, then mineral oil, waste products, fertilizer and salt, etc.
Most interesting are the services on offer (left menu; many clickable photos), neatly divided into transportation of various bulk goods (solid or not), waterway construction, transportation of wheat and fodder, project cargo, waste products, and "other".
The company logo may be seen on the website, blue on white, and - on the house flag - white on blue here.
Attachment shows a blue flag bearing white design elements: large italic company initials "OTS" (no serifs) seemingly transported by a ship's silhouette sailing towards the fly on two wavy lines. For good measure the firm's name appears on the ship's bow in tiny letters.
Source: German eBay offer no. 220052180132 (end 3 Dec 2006) put up by "ohndangdang" who provides dimensions: 100 cm x 140 cm.
Jan Mertens, 27 Mar 2011


Opielok Reederei

[Opielok Reederei] image by Ivan Sache, 7 Sep 2008

"Opielok Reederei GmbH", based at Hamburg, was founded in 1998 by  Christopher E. O. Opielok, operating the container ship MV "Christine O". The company currently two multi-purpose ships and two bulk carriers. Most ships are named after members of the Opielok family ("xx O").

The flag of "Opielok Reederei", as shown as a graphic on the company website, is vertically divided red blue with a yellow emblem in the middle, made of a C inscribed in a O, undoubtedly the initials of the company's founder and manager.
In September 2007, the company founded the fully-owned subsidiary "Opielok Offshore Carriers GmbH" (OOC) for the operation of offshore vessels and platform supply vessels. Their seven ships are named after animals, "OOC xx", for instance "OOC Tiger". According to the press release by the mother company, the ships have a "dark blue livery emblazoned with a tiger', myabe also used on a house flag yet to be reported.
Source: OOC press release, April 2008.
Ivan Sache, 7 Sep 2008


Orient-Linie

[Orient-Linie (Shipping Company, Germany)] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 July 2019

The company was based in Hamburg. The flag was red with a white 6-point star in centre, charged with a black Hamburg castle.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.19, image no.442
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 July 2019


Orion Bulkers

[Orion Bulkers GmbH & Co. KG (Shipping Company, Germany)] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 May 2007

Orion Bulkers GmbH & Co. KG (Shipping Company, Germany), formerly Orion Schiffahrts-Gesellschaft Reith & Co. GmbH - White saltire on dark red a white vertical oval centered, charged with a black 'O'.
Jorge Candeias, 21 Mar 1999

"Orion" Schifffahrts-Gesellschaft - The flag is nearly the same as that one already depicted but the background is simply red.
Source: Announcement of sponsoring on a museum-ticket.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 May 2007


Heinrich Ossenbrüggen

[Heinrich Ossenbrüggen] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Apr 2009

Heinrich Ossenbrüggen
The company was located in Altendeich/Haseldorf. It is a white flag with a red-white-black bordure of ratio approx 2:1:1. In the centre is a black capital ?O? of double width, superimposed by a black, serifed capital ?H?.
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


Ostasiatische Handels-Gesellschaft

[Ostasiatische Handels-Gesellschaft (Shipping Company, Germany)] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 July 2019

The company was based in Hamburg and used a triangular pennant parted of black over red over yellow, all stripes converging in fly end.
Source: Flaggenbuch 1905, part V, p.20, image no.506
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 July 2019


Schiffahrtskontor Oste

[Schiffahrtskontor Oste] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 July 2019

The company was based in Hemmoor. In the 1970ies its ships sailed all over the seven seas. The name of the ships always began with "Oste", a small river in the region. The flag was blue with a throughout white cross, in centre on a white diamond was a red initial "O".
Source: here
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 July 2019


Reederei Ostermoor GmbH

[Reederei Ostermoor] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 Apr 2009

The company was located in Hamburg. It was a yellow over white pennant. In the upper hoist corner were three white 6-point stars in a triangular constellation.
Source: "Reedereien und ihre Schiffe ?ber 300 BRT"; Hamburg 1957; p.F22
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 Apr 2009


Ostsee-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft

[Ostsee-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 September 2008

Ostsee-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, located in Stettin.
It is a 11-stripes flag with alternating horizontal white and red stripes starting with a white one. In the centre is a white rectangle with black dotted capitals: ?O.D.G.?
Source: [llo12] p.108, image no.1500.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 September 2008


William O'Swald and Co

[William O'Swald and Co] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Apr 2007

William O'Swald and Co. - The company was established in 1824 bei William O'Swald. His son William Henry O'Swald was born on 24 April 1832 in Hamburg. He became member of the board of the company, which was specialized in trade with Eastern Africa, in 1859. Earlier before he led the branches of his fathers company in Zanzibar, Lagos and Palma. In 1859 he signed a treaty between the cities of Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen and the Sultan of Zanzibar, which had great influence in interior eastern Africa then.
O'Swald was for a certain time also honorary consul in Zanzibar. In this position he established new branches of the company in Madagascar, the Somali Coast and the German protectorate in East Africa, (later Tanganyika). O'Swald was also "Präses" (some kind of minister) of the trade and shipping department of the city of Hamburg. He promoted Hamburgs colonial trade and established in 1886 the Hamburg section of the  "Deutsche Kolonial-Gesellschaft" (=German Colonial Society) and was elected as a member of the board of that company in Berlin. He had however no enthusiasm in colonial political affairs and often critized the politics of the half-official "Deutsch Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft" (= German East Africa Company) of C. Peters. O'Swald died on 7 May 1923 in Blankenese, today a part of Hamburg.
Source: Franklin Kopitsch; David Tilgner (ed.): Hamburg Lexikon, Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-9805687-9-2; p.363.

The company used a blue flag with a coat of arms in its centre. The coat of arms was topped by a golden coronet. At flags bottom was an orange inscription "WOS & Co.". The shield was divided per fess. The base showed on a golden (=yellow) field a red oval with small black wings. The chief was divided per pale. On the right side was a red squirrel in a golden (=yellow) field, facing the hoist. On the left side were three red roses in triangular formation in a silver (=white) field.
Source: Jürgen Meyer: "Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945"; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; inside cover.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Apr 2007


Oscar Ott

[Oscar Ott] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Jul 2012

According to source Hamburg shipowners register provides evidence of the company's existence at least from 1901 until 1911. In the centre of the white flag is a red capital "O" surrounded by red lines forming a rectangle.
Source: Otto Mathies: "Hamburgs Reederei 1814 - 1914", Hamburg 1924, p.185
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Jul 2012


Ewald Ottens

[Ewald Ottens] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Mar 2009

Ewald Ottens
The company was located in Cuxhaven. It is a white flag divided by a blue saltire with black capitals ?E?(hoist), ?O?(fly) and ?C?(bottom). In the top quarter are hammer and mallet, the symbol of mining, in black.
Source:  ?Deutsche Reedereien und ihre Erkennungszeichen?; 2nd ed.; Hamburg; 1956; p.31
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Mar 2009


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