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SHV (The Netherlands)

Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging (Coal Trading Association)

[Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging houseflag]

image by Jarig Bakker, 24 Jul 2008

Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging
SHV variant flag
SHV pennant

See also:

Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging

Quoting from the Dutch company SHV’s homepage, English version: “SHV originated in 1896 in the Netherlands from a merger between a number of large coal trading companies, some of which had been active since the 18th century. After the decline of coal as the primary source of energy, halfway through the twentieth century, SHV decided to move into other business areas.”

SHV means ‘Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging’ (i.e. Coal Trading Association). First established at Utrecht, “SHV was and remained for many years a frontrunner in the development and modernisation of the Rotterdam harbour. SHV was the first company to use onshore bridges for loading and unloading coal. In 1913 the head office of SHV moved to its current location in Utrecht. SHV also had offices in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.” (Quote from the ‘History’ section.)
And: “after 1945 SHV’s Rhine-fleet used for transportation of coal was incorporated in its subsidiary NRV (N.V. Nederlandsche Rijnvaart Vereniging) at the time the biggest inland waterway shipping company in the world.”

Let us concentrate - for the moment - on that period, noting in passing that the transportation of oil was to become more important than that of coal.
Barge ‘PAM 31’ – built in 1951 - featured on the Binnenvaart site flies the house flag which also appears in the 1925 Rotterdam source: divided per ascending diagonal: white hoist bearing crossed miners’ hammers (placed parallel to the diagonal), orange fly bearing large white initials ‘SHV’ (also placed parallel to the diagonal).

There was a pennant as well, shown in ‘Flaggen auf dem Rhein’ (1952 ed.). The design is similar, shifting the hammers to upper hoist and placing the initials – a lot thinner, at least in this rendering – horizontally.
Barge ‘PAM 34’ – built in 1958 - apparently flies it (b/w Binnenvaart photo); and this page also shows the pennant as a drawing. (These two were selected from a number of Binnenvaart SHV pics.).
Jan Mertens, 22 Jul 2008

Talbot-Booth (1937) lists it as "Nederlandsche Zeerederij" (Dutch Seashipping).
Jarig Bakker, 24 Jul 2008

SHV variant flag

image sent by Neale Rosanoski, 19 Jan 2009

SHV (The Netherlands). The rectangular flag as shown by Talbot-Booth between 1936-1944 differs from that shown here by being a division from corner to corner i.e. equal halves with the crossed hammers being narrower with longer hafts [see image above]. Whilst the format of the hammers is probably minor, the field division needs some clarifying as it is not clear where the version shown originated from – presumably from the "1925 Rotterdam source" [is this meant to be 1952 for "Flaggen auf dem Rheim"?] but as that is given as having an orange fly and this decidedly is red, do we have another version to consider? Incidentally, the showing by Talbot-Booth, as mention by Jarig, as being for Nederlandsche Zeerederij refers to Nederlandsche Zeerederij, Naamlooze Vennootschap for which company SHV were operators, obviously with no colours of their own hence the use of the operators. With reference to the photo of "Pam 31" supporting this flag I point out that whilst the letters cannot be made out they are without doubt placed horizontally towards the base of the flag and therefore do not support the diagonal placing on the displayed image.

In the case of the pennant it is also shown by Walter Michels in "Unvergessene Dampfschiffahrt auf Rhein und Donau" 1967 although his version has smaller crossed hammers placed right in the upper hoist corner and his letters have white dots after them. For better actual photos than "Pam 34" I suggest that attention be paid to scrolling photos on the company website history page where there is one of 3 tugs which is possible to copy. They show the reverse side of the pennants and the lettering cannot be made out but the placement of the hammers [in upper hoist corner] and letters [in the base and not the centre as shown in the image] is confirmed.
Neale Rosanoski, 19 Jan 2009

No, it's not the "1925 Rotterdam source" - regrettably, this page is no longer reachable;
It is not meant to be 1952 for "Flaggen auf dem Rhein";
The page in question: http://www.shv.nl/index.php?id=32&language=en. Here is a photo here is one, on a Tugspotter page.
Jan Mertens, 20 Jan 2009

Steenkolen Handels-Vereeniging pennant

image by Jarig Bakker, 24 Jul 2008