^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Dutch Houseflags of Shipping Companies [o]

Oceaan
Olthof Scheepsservice
van Oord, Venray
Oost Atlantic Lijn
Oosterwijk Bagger Mij
Oranje Nassau
K.N. Overmeer & Zn
Overzeese Scheepvaart Mij

Other "O" companies:

See also:

Oceaan

image by Jarig Bakker, 22 Oct 2003

N.V. Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Oceaan", Amsterdam - blue with a white diamond charged with NSMO in black.
Source: houseflagchart attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 22 Oct 2003

Formed 1891 by the British company Alfred Holt & Co. with sources up to WW2 showing the Holt flag being used and with this association and the Oceaan flag being of similar design I would imagine that the blue would be a dark shade. Sources agree with the version shown apart from Brown 1951 which shows blue letters with dots after them.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 Jan 2004

Olthof Scheepsservice

image by Eugene Ipavec, 11 Aug 2008

Last year I spotted Olthof’s house flag on this Vlootschouw page dedicated to the coaster ‘Normed Bremen’: You can see it flying on the bow, among many others: white, a mustard-coloured disk in the centre (the logo is second on the list of suppliers). See company website: where the logo builds up (flash animation). As shown on the site, the disk (representing the initial ‘O’) bears a white cargo ship, sailing to the right, placed above the horizontal stem of a thin white initial ‘G’ following the rim of the disk.
Olthof Scheepsservice (i.e. ships’ service) was founded by G. Olthof in 1924 as a ship repair yard, motor dealer (representing the famous Brons brand, now gone,
and currently Mitsubishi). In addition, the company constructs hydraulic steering devices. The firm is established at Capelle on the River IJssel, immediately to the East of Rotterdam.
At the Dutch auction site Marktplaats the logo is there allright – in a position above centre flag - but ‘G’ and ship are black rather than white. The complete company name is added below: ‘MACHINEFABRIEK (i.e. machinery factory, jm) G. OLTHOF N.V.’ also in black.
This was offer no. 173188421, put up 3 Jun 2008 by “Ghis” (Westdorpe, Zeeland). Made of nylon, dimensions given as 68 cm x 100 cm. The original photo is
larger, but as the disk is dark I cannot see if the reverse has the device turned around. The company name, if present, ought to read correctly.
Jan Mertens, 6 Jul 2008

van Oord, Venray

image by Eugene Ipavec, 26 Apr 2006

Van Oord Handel en Transport (“Van Oord Trade and Transport”) BV is situated at Venray, a town in the Dutch province of Limburg, not far from the River Maas. The company website shows the house flag on the first page and throws in a (simplified) animated gif for good measure.
A wedge or triangle containing the national colours has its base on the hoist and reaches the end of the flag, leaving two triangles the upper one of which is green and the lower one, yellow. Unfortunately, this striking combination is defaced by the company name in white letters: ‘Van Oord’ (large) at the top of the green triangle, ‘Handel en Transport b.v.’ (small) at the bottom of the yellow one. The animated gif does not show the name.
See the ‘Handel en Transport’ section for a photo of the barge ‘En Avant’ (first photo, clickable): this particular flag does not seem to carry the full company name after all.
Van Oord sells, and delivers, various sorts of sand, gravel, chalk, recycled materials, etc. for the construction industry, mainly concrete works. Several inland vessels, some of them specialized, a pontoon, and a sand suction dredger are operated by the company.
A member of the Van Oord Doorwerth Holding, the firm cooperates with Eurocem which is a cement supplier.
Note: there does not seem to be any connection with its namesake(s) present on the FOTW-website.
Jan Mertens, 25 Apr 2006

Oost Atlantic Lijn

image by Jarig Bakker, 17 Nov 2005

Oost Atlantic Lijn B.V., Rotterdam - horizontal red - white - green - red flag; over the two central stripes "OAL". (Eastern Atlantic Line).
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 17 Nov 2005

Oosterwijk Bagger Mij

image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 Feb 2009

A leftover from Jansen & Van Herck’s book ‘Duwvaart’ (a Dutch book on push navigation and a nice house flag source) is Oosterwijk Bagger Mij. (i.e. Oosterwijk Dredging Co.) of Rotterdam.
P. 22 of this book shows a b/w drawing: horizontally divided BWBWB, the central stripe wider and containing an italic initial ‘O’. I stumbled on a small colour photo of this flag, here, where it functions as a sort of signcall or signature!

The Boskalis history page (in Dutch) mentions Oosterwijk, founded by J.C. Oosterwijk who started out in 1920 as an independent transporter of sand. Later cooperation with Boele as ‘Boele en Oosterwijk BV’: huge contracting works; taken over by Boskalis (and renamed Boskalis Oosterwijk) in 1969.
A more thorough overview is found on this Dutch Wikipedia page, where we learn that the name ‘Oosterwijk’ was struck in 1981. I could not resist swiping the flag. See also this Binnenvaart page dedicated to vessel ‘Volkerak’ and the flag drawing.
Jan Mertens, 15 Dec 2008

Oranje Nassau

image by Jarig Bakker, 26 January 2005

Scheepvaart Maatschappij Oranje Nassau, Rotterdam - blue flag. white diamond, yellow lion rampant; at hoist top and fly bottom yellow "ON".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 26 January 2005

K.N. Overmeer & Zn

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 May 2006

A striking flag in purple and yellow is flown by ‘K.N. Overmeer & Zn BV’ (K.N. Overmeer & Son Ltd), a freighting company located in Amsterdam and having offices in Rotterdam and Getmold on the Mittellandkanal, Northern Germany (‘Overmeer Schifffahrt & Transport GmbH’).

Flag found at this webpage and photos showing the flag flying on the Amsterdam office and a tugboat, respectively on this site and this one: Yellow field with purple wedge or triangle based on the hoist and extending all the way to the fly; on the triangle ‘OVERMEER’ in yellow letters without serifs and the ‘O’ somewhat larger.

Some facts gleaned from the company website (admittedly the Dutch text is more informative than the versions in other languages).
Founded after WWII by J.L. Overmeer Sr, member of a family active in inland navigation, organizing shipments to France. Officially the firm exists since 1961 at which time K.N. Overmeer took over his father’s business. Transport to and from Germany started about 1975. Another generation appeared on the scene beginning of the 'eighties in the person of J.L.Overmeer Jr, the ‘Zn’ (son) mentioned above.

Overmeer expanded in the ‘nineties thanks to the abolition of freighting restrictions and also to an important enlargement of the area of operations (Main-Danube Canal, also Mittellandkanal). In order to deal with increased business, two offices were established: one at Rotterdam, the other at Getmold in Germany (starting 1 March 2006).

The company owns barges but rents them as well and is assisted by private bargemen under contract.

Overmeer may not be a very large company but its house flag is not a run-of-the-mill affair, at least where the colours are concerned.
Jan Mertens, 3 Apr 2006

Overzeese Scheepvaart Mij

by Jarig Bakker, 10 Jan 2005

Overzeese Scheepvaart Maatschappij, Amsterdam (Overseas Shipping Society) - horizontal Orange - Blue - White - Blue - Orange; on white blue "OSM".
Source: Scott, R.M., The Caltex book of Flags and Funnels, Capetown, Caltex Africa Ltd. (1959).
Jarig Bakker, 10 Jan 2005