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Braunkohle Reederei (German Shipping Company)

Reederei und Spedition Braunkohle GmbH

image by Jarig Bakker, 29 Jul 2006

Braunkohle Reederei
Braunkohle pennant

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Braunkohle Reederei

A German inland shipping company with a remarkable name, 'Braunkohle' (meaning brown coal or lignite, a locally found subsititute for coal) was variously called 'Braunkohle Reederei' and 'Reederei und Spedition Braunkohle GmbH' (Spedition meaning transportation generally) in the past.
The Binnenvaart site shows a number of vessels belonging to Braunkohle and says the company seat is (was) at Wesseling which is located on the Rhine south of Cologne. Some links to colour photos showing the remarkable orangey-brown of the funnel:
The second picture shows the house flag, somewhat vaguely it is true; the same page has a drawing: orangey-brown with a white diamond placed well inside the flag and bearing a black initial 'B'.
See also the following b/w photograph, first on the page, showing the 'Braunkohle III', and perhaps we may interpret the 'Köln' (Cologne) on the boat as implying
'Wesseling'. Nowadays the historical Braunkohle is only part of the RSB Logistic concern (flag to be treated separately) - which is, in its turn, part of the important RWE power group. Anyhow RSB has Braunkohle as a starting point, 1918 to be exact, gradually expanding from inland shipping to road transport and tankers (from 1939 on). After WWII the main loads were construction materials and chemical substances followed, in the 1960's and 1970's, by a move from towboats to push navigation. Exceptional loads were shipped from 1977 on and the next year saw the establishment of 'Reederei und Spedition Braunkohle GmbH' as a result of Braunkohle and USG, a related warehousing and transportation company, merging. In 1993, RSB Logistic GmbH became the new company name. Above facts gleaned from this website.
Jan Mertens, 29 Jul 2006

Braunkohle pennant

image sent by Jan Mertens, 14 Jun 2009

A long Braunkohle pennant was offered on German eBay fairly recently: no. 170310712238 (end 22 Mar 2009; text and pic saved only) put up by “antik-institorium”: orange field, large white letters “Braunkohle” apparently without the white diamond bearing a black initial “B”.
Approximate dimensions given as 180 cm by 350 cm which is, indeed, rather long.
Jan Mertens, 14 Jun 2009