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

Dutch Houseflags of Shipping Companies [v]

Other 'v' companies:

See also:

Veerhaven

image by Jorge Candeias, 16 March 1999

Houseflag of Veerhaven, B.V., Brielle (Zuid-Holland).
Green with a wide white horizontal stripe shifted to the bottom, charged with the word "VEERHAVEN" in black.
Jorge Candeias, 16 March 1999

Source: Company's website.
Dov Gutterman, 25 February 1999

Veerhaven B.V. changed name 2002 to ThyssenKrupp Veerhaven B.V. (company website).
Neale Rosanoski, 25 Sep 2003

In Jansen & Van Heck’s book, Veerhaven BV is presented on pp. 99-105.
Founded in 1966 as ‘Scheepvaart en Agentuur Mij. Veerhaven BV’ (Shipping and Agency Co. Veerhaven Ltd) at Rotterdam as a subsidiary of Thyssen AG,
Duisburg. Also called Ertslijn (Ore Line; Veerhaven literally means Ferry Harbour, located in Rotterdam), established in Brielle since 1984.
Originally a company of Raab Karcher & Co. GmgH (SEAM), taken over by Thyssen in 1967.
Active in ore transportation from Rotterdam to the Thyssen works in the Ruhr area, Germany, in collaboration with Franz Haniel and EWT.

So far Jansen & Van Heck (1988), who show the above Veerhaven flag in b/w (mentioning green and white but not black) plus basically the same flag for Ertslijn. Of course here the white stripe had a differten name ‘ERTS-LIJN.’ in it (with a dash and a dot in the picture! colour of letters not given.)

The link provided above is certainly useful – we learn that the company is known as ThyssenKrupp Veerhaven since 2002. English section at this webpage.

Relevant quote concerning Rhine shipping:
“ThyssenKrupp Veerhaven's fleet consists of 7 push boats, 1 harbour push boat and 68 pushed barges and 2 inspection boats.
With this fleet ThyssenKrupp Veerhaven covered about 75% of the total transport volume of circa 22 million tons of ore and coal bulk cargo. The remaining tons are transported through contracts with the partner shipping companies.
At present the total deployed fleet consists of 10 push boats and around 100 pushed barges, which takes care of this transport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

I had thought the Veerhaven flag had disappeared (I could not open every photo at above site Gallery) but this photo by Rob Smit seems recent enough.
Jan Mertens, 23 Mar 2006

There is a curious variant on a German eBay offer (ended 22 May 2006, item no. 6630113089). There the company name is rendered in an italic font – not so important, perhaps, see also Gevelco – but the black “holding line” or border around the entire flag is certainly unusual.

Less bizarre is the version which appeared on Heinrich Fischbach’site, now off the air, adding ‘B.V.’ (“besloten vennootschap” i.e. private co.) in front of the firm’s name.

A last point, difficult to resolve out of hand, is the exact colour shade: both the eBay flag and the one linked to on FOTW-ws (last sentence) certainly not have the bright green colour shown by our site or by Fischbach.
Jan Mertens, 2 Sep 2006

Verenigde Bootlieden

image sent by Jan Mertens, 18 Jun 2007

The Terneuzen-based Verenigde Bootlieden (i.e. United Boatmen) sport their flag on the homepage (first url is main address, second leads to flag picture): nd there is an English site version as well - click the Union Jack (that's the UK flag).
Active “on the waterways around Terneuzen, Westerschelde (River Schelde), Braakmanhaven (Braakman port) and the Gent to Terneuzen Canal” (in other words, part of Zeeland), this boatmen’s association was founded in 1905 and reorganized – put on a business footing - in 1984. Multraship is now a majority shareholder.
Among the many services offered are navigating (piloting) and mooring, assisting and transporting nautical personnel, operating a fresh water boat, taking care of communications, manning a shipping control room, offering storage room, etc.

On a blue flag is placed a rendition of the organization’s logo in white. Stylized and joined initials ‘VB’ embraced by a line evoking a ship’s hull above two stylized waves; underneath this the words, also in white, ‘Verenigde Bootlieden b.v.’ (no serifs).
“A rendition” since the logo also incorporates a blue, white-rimmed, oval containing a white anchor, placed on the two waves. This is not shown on the flag.
Flag waving on the ‘VB 4’ (first photo on this Tugspotters page, credits to J. Kruit).
Jan Mertens, 18 Jun 2007

Verenigde Nederlandse Tankvaartrederij

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 Sep 2007

N.V. Verenigde Nederlandse Tankvaartrederij, The Hague.
Flag: white field, blue saltire; in center red diamond, blue disk outlined white, white 5-pointed star.
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 18 Sep 2007

Verenigde Tankkustvaart

image by Jarig Bakker, 30 January 2001

N.V. Verenigde Tankkustvaart, Rotterdam.
Flag: green field, white saltire.
Image from Flagchart of houseflags of Dutch shipping companies, attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 1 Feb 2001

J. Vermaas' Scheepvaart Bedrijf

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 Sep 2007

J. Vermaas' Scheepvaart Bedrijf N.V., Rotterdam.
Flag: blue field, white flydiagonal, black "V.S.B."
Source: Wyt's Digest of Dutch Shipping and Shipbuilding 1966.
Jarig Bakker, 18 Sep 2007

Vooruit, IJlst

image by Jarig Bakker, 8 Mar 2005

Jan Mertens reported this link. Vooruit, IJlst (Fryslân).
Flag: blue field, white "V".
Sailing Company "Vooruit" is the oldest Dutch Charter company specialized in beautiful traditional sailing ships. Since 1968 many of their ships sail upon the Waddensea, the IJsselmeer and the canals and lakes of the province of Friesland.
Jarig Bakker, 8 Mar 2005

VOS

image by Jarig Bakker, 8 Mar 2005

Jan Mertens reported this link. N.V. Vereniging De Onafhankelijke Sleepdienst - 1951 - 1967 (Society The Independent Tugging Service).
Flag: orange field, black "V.O.S".
Jarig Bakker, 8 Mar 2005

V.O.S. or Vereniging De Onafhankelijke Sleepdienst is also mentioned on p. 89 of "Duwvaart" by Jansen & Van Heck. The firm was taken over by Smit International. (One sometimes sees "Vereeniging" in old spelling.)
The flag, as shown in above book, has the black initials very large on the orange field, filling up 3/5 of flag heigth and the entire horizontal plane.
I think that such letters would dissolve, blobwise, when seen from afar... The last photo on this page is hardly conclusive.
Jan Mertens, 26 Feb 2006

VOS-Smit

image by Jarig Bakker, 24 Mar 2006

The firms V.O.S. (Verenigde Onafhankelijke Sleepdienst) and Piet Smit Sleepdienst have been presented recently – but Jansen & Van Heck point to a joint flag in “Duwvaart”, p. 89.
They state that a blue flag with ‘SV’ in yellow was flown. Their b/w picture does not do justice to what can be seen on the web. As I have only found funnels with the flag logo, this will have to do for the moment.
See sixth photo from top of this webpage, and here (fourth and especially sixth photo from top).
The dates mentioned in this and comparable sources suggest that Vos-Smit BV, based at Rotterdam, was active around 1975-1988 (before being merged into Smit International).
Jan Mertens, 17 Mar 2006

Vos Brothers

image by Jarig Bakker, 23 Mar 2006

Transportbedrijf Gebr. Vos is presented in "Duwvaart" by Jansen & Van Heck on pp. 106-108. The name means 'Transport Company Vos Brothers', the firm was founded in 1925 and situated at Nederhemert on the River Maas.
Above authors state that Gebroeders Vos started inland navigation about 1960 having bought some tugs. 1967 saw the acquisition of the first motor ship and push boats were to follow but all vessels received the name 'Maasstroom' and a number.
A very simple house flag is shown and described on p. 106: a horizontal tricolour of green – orange – green.
Company website ("Vos Nederhemert"): stating 1924 as the foundation year and 1962 as the year in which Gebr. Vos started operating ships in order to transport various grain products and fodder. Furthermore, the firm is a founding member of Octo Logistics (1999), a consortium of eight Dutch and Belgian logistics providers.
Their shipping activities have evolved from simple storage to push navigation, a process in which the big inland shipping strike in Belgium (1975) played a role. Although Gebr. Vos ship various goods, waste transport has become important.
I have not found an image of the house flag but the black funnels of the various 'Maasstroom' vessels recall it in the green – orange – green band. See this page, and this one.
Jan Mertens, 12 Mar 2006

De Vries en Van de Wiel

image by Eugene Ipavec, 13 Jun 2006

I first encountered this Dutch firm – and house flag – on a Binnenvaart page, where we learn that Hilversum, once the company seat, was succeeded by Schagen (bottom of page). There is a drawing of the flag and it can be seen flying on the ‘Grinza VIII’, too. The choice of colours is rather more striking than the logo, we might say.

However… the company site shows what we ought to call the correct version of the house flag, where we find the De Vries en Van de Wiel logo. Extract of clickable photo from website (‘Grond- en reststoffenbank’ – ‘Werkgebied’ i.e. earth and leftover matter bank – area of operations). See also the logo itself.

A black and wide (seemingly squashed) initial ‘W’ is placed before a red and high, narrow initial ‘V’. This logo appears on a white disk placed on a flag, horizontally divided grey (upper stripe) and bright red (lower stripe).

Briefly, this firm is active in various ways in the dredging and earth reclamation sector: it is specialized in cleaning up, and the re-use where possible, of the material brought to the surface. One example is asbestos removal from roads or waterways, another one the construction of Texel airfield, or cleaning up the Amsterdam Petroleumhaven i.e. petroleum (mineral oil) port.

De Vries and Van de Wiel are a national player, a dredging firm specialized in operations of which the environmental aspect is very important.

In addition, this firm is a traditional supplier of sand and other construction materials, and operates a large fleet of specialized vessels. Then, dyke building is only one example of De Vries and Van de Wiel’s construction activities. An impressive number of participations in related firms indicates the firm’s place in a wide network (itself being, in fact, part of the well-known Deme dredging holding).
Jan Mertens, 7 Jun 2006

Vroon

image by Jarig Bakker, 3 Mar 2005

Jan Mertens reported this link with mainly Dutch houseflags. Vroon.
Flag: white field, Black "V" over three blue waves.
Jarig Bakker, 3 Mar 2005

Vroon B.V., Breskens.
Flag: white field, blue "V" over three brightblue waves. (the internet-image looked like a black "V", but wasn't...)
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95].
Jarig Bakker, 15 Sep 2005

A. Vuyk

image sent by Jan Mertens, 18 Sep 2009

The main part of this page recounts the history of a Dutch shipyard, ‘A. Vuyk & Zonen’ at Capelle on the River IJssel – or recounted, as it is no longer complete: Founded in 1872 by Adrianus Vuyk, master shipbuilder, the yard at first only built wooden inland vessels, then also steel ones and, from 1897 on, sea-going ships. On Vuyk’s death in 1910 his three sons took over the business. Due to the economic slump during and following WWI no sea-going ships were built between 1918 and 1928 but the ship repair yard helped tide over difficult times.
In 1934 Vuyk’s three grandsons entered the company. During WWII the yard was obliged to keep on building. Once the war was over business boomed and in 1952 the firm became ‘A. Vuyk & Zonen's Scheepswerven (i.e. shipyards, jm) N.V.’ New problems arose during the ‘seventies due to losses and growing competition from abroad which new investments could not counter. The company was wound up in 1979.

The house flag shown on the page is: On a white field is placed a red saltire over the centre of which is placed a blue (lying) oval bearing three white initials “AVZ” (surprisingly, no “K” appears), the “V” longer than the others. National colours.
Jan Mertens, 18 Sep 2009