Last modified: 2020-07-31 by ian macdonald
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![[China Coast Freight Co. Ltd.]](../images/c/cn~ccf.gif)
Jan Mertens, 31 January 2010
'China Coast Freight Co. Ltd' is an NVOCC (non-vessel operation common
carrier) established at Ningbo, an important port in Zhejiang Province, China.
Website
"We offer weekly sailings to over 80 destinations throughout main China coast
ports. CCF has guaranteed space with all carriers and private off dock
warehousing at most destinations. Our core business is the handling of less than
container load (LCL), full container load (FCL), and Air cargo into many
destinations worldwide. In addition, we offer Import LCL/FCL transportation
services from many origins around the world into the China."
Services include warehousing, customs clearance, and further distribution.
![[China Coast Freight Co. Ltd.]](../images/c/cn~ccf2.gif)
Jan Mertens, 31 January 2010
The flag drawing shown on the site is blue field bearing white initials "CCF"
(no serifs) and broad horizontal edges in red, fimbriated white.
However this
clickable page shows a variant without the white fimbriations, in fact the
remaining stripes have equal width (initials still without serifs but put
together in the centre) so this version has been depicted which has the
advantage of appearing on an official document, a B/L (bill of lading).
No point in searching for photos of ships flying one of above flags I suppose...
but let us put CCF on record.
Jan Mertens, 31 January 2010
![[Merchant Ensign]](../images/c/cn_1903.gif)
The China Merchants Group still exists. Nowadays it has its headquarters in Hong Kong, and it has a website (www.cmhk.com). Its history page (available only in Chinese) lists the important events throughout the company's 130-year history. Here I will quote only a few relevant ones.
In light of this information, I can say that while the yellow disc on red
flag was, strictly speaking, the house flag of CMSNC, it was the de facto
Chinese merchant ensign during the monarchy. Moreover,
the list does not mention the variant flags with one or two dragons inside the
disc - so my old assertion that these variants were fantasy flags still stands.
In any case, The yellow moon flag is no longer flown nowadays... but at least
they still remember it.
Miles Li, 7 December 2003
4 October 1872 - January 1873
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cm1.gif)
image by Miles Li, 11 September 2014
The first house flag of CMSNC was approved by Zongli Yamen (Foreign Office)
on 4 October 1872. Yellow field with a pair of fish outlined in blue, the
Chinese word 'fish' being a homophonic pun with 'surplus'.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
How is this a pun? Was the company surplus in any way?
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 11 September 2014
'Fish' (魚) and 'Surplus' (餘) are both pronounced 'yú'. And yes, I am
referring to company surplus/profit.
Miles Li, 12 September 2014
To me "surplus" means "that which is more than is needed". Since that makes
it waste, I didn't quite see how that was going to apply to the company. But I
can see how one would nick name ones company "profit".
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 September 2014
January - July 1873
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cm2.gif)
image by Miles Li, 11 September 2014
The second house flag of CMSNC was similar to the first, but with a
red field. This change was possibly because the yellow field was
reserved for the Emperor - although given the first flag did have the
approval from the Imperial Government we cannot say for sure.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
July 1873 - 1942
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cm3.gif)
image by Miles Li, 11 September 2014
The third house flag of CMSNC was also the best known. Red field with
a yellow moon. The company name 'China Merchant' often led to this
house flag being mistaken as the Imperial Chinese merchant ensign.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
1942 - 31 January 1951 (- 1972 in Taiwan)
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cm4.gif)
image by Miles Li, 11 September 2014
During the Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) China became effectively
landlocked; some CMSNC ships did operate out of the then British
colony of Hong Kong, until it too was occupied by Japan in December
1941. A few ships survived, but without a neutral home port, and as
such the house flag had to be changed to avoid being mistaken as the
Japanese hinomaru. The solution was to use the Chinese civil ensign,
but with the 'blue sky, white sun' canton replaced by the 'red field,
yellow moon'.
Unlike the Chinese civil ensign, which always had six-and-a-half
zig-zags on each yellow line, later (manufactured rather than
converted) examples of the house flag had several variations in the
number of zig-zags per line.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, CMSNC was split into two -
the Communist company based in Hong Kong and the Nationalist company
based in Taiwan. The former ceased using the house flag after January
1951, whereas the latter continued to fly it until it was re-formed as
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation in 1972.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
1 February - August 1951
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cm5.gif)
image by Miles Li, 12 September 2014
In February 1951 CMSNC in mainland China was re-formed as the Chinese
People's Shipping Company, with a new house flag based on the national
flag, with three yellow lines of five zig-zags at the base. The
company was dissolved in August the same year. (the name CMSNC
remained unchanged in Hong Kong.) Despite the different company name
the house flag is still considered the fifth official flag of CMSNC.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
COSCO - 1 March 1960 - 13 April 1993
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cosco60.gif)
image by Miles Li, 12 September 2014
Between August 1951 and April 1961 international shipping to and from
the PRC were carried out mostly by privately-owned, government-run,
flag-of-convenience ships, necessary due to the UN-imposed embargo on
the PRC in retaliation to its involvement in the Korean War. As
diplomatic situation of the PRC improved, an official Chinese state
shipping line, COSCO, was officially formed on 27 April 1961. In
advance of its establishment a house flag was adopted, white with a
wide red horizontal stripe bearing a yellow five-pointed star between
three pairs of yellow double zig-zags. (Although never part of CMSNC,
COSCO can be considered a successor of CMSNC in mainland China, so it
is included here.)
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
I have corrected the date to 13 April 1993; the current COSCO house flag was
adopted the day after, on 14 April 1993)
Miles Li, 12 September 2014
Since 1984
![[CMSNC Flag]](../images/c/cn~cm6.gif)
image by Miles Li, 12 September 2014
The sixth and current flag of CMSNC - renamed China Merchants Group on
12 November 1985 - is blue with a stylized initials 'CM' in yellow.
This is not a house flag in the true sense of the word, since
CMSNC/China Merchants Group has for years not operated ships under its
own flag, but via a number of subsidiaries.
Miles Li, 11 September 2014
According to the COSCO website, 1949 saw the bulk of the China
Merchants Steam Navigation Co. seized by Taiwan. Thereafter the fleet appeared in Lloyds as
China Merchants Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. based in
Taipei.
As Miles says it appears that the yellow moon flag is no longer flown.
Neale Rosanoski, 9 August 2007
![[China Ocean Shipping Company houseflag]](../images/c/cn~c253a.gif)
image contributed by Neale Rosanoski, 9 August 2007
The flag shown in Brown 1995 [lgr95] below is wrong in that the blue bands should be white. I fear the gremlins hit the Brown printing in this case and previous editions show it correctly. As is stated in the Brown notes, the livery above was used for most of vessels of the Government of the People's Republic of China with COSCO adopting its own flag, being the 2nd version shown by Jorge, in the early 1990s.
![[China Ocean Shipping Company houseflag]](../images/c/cn~cosco1.gif)
image by Jarig Bakker, 21 January 2006
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World
[lgr95]
Beijing - horizontal brightblue - red - brightblue
flag; in center 5-pointed star between two rows of three waves, all yellow.
Jarig Bakker, 21 January 2006
![[China Ocean Shipping Company houseflag]](../images/c/cn~cosco.gif)
image by Jorge Candeias, 15 February 1999
![[China Ocean Shipping Company, Hong Kong houseflag]](../images/c/cn~c938a.gif)
image contributed by Neale Rosanoski, 9 August 2007
![[China Ocean Shipping Company, Singapore houseflag]](../images/c/cn~c336a.gif)
image contributed by Neale Rosanoski, 9 August 2007
I am told that COSCO (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
adds " SINGAPORE" in smaller white lettering to the group flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 9 August 2007
![[Shanghai Inland River Steamer Transport Co.]](../images/c/cn~cscl.gif)
image by Zoltan Horvath, 08 Februray 2014
"China Shipping Container Lines Co Ltd. (CSCL) is a division of China
Shipping Group (China Shipping), is a containerized marine shipping company,
based in Shanghai, China, established in 1997, provides fully containerized
marine and intermodal freight transport, storage, and electronic data
interchange services worldwide".
Souce:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Shipping_Container
The flag is a white background with the
logo in
the middle.
Picture taken on September 12, 2011 in Buenos Aires Argentina), outside their
branch office.
For additional information go to: China
Shipping Container Lines Co Ltd. (official website)
Esteban Rivera, 17 January 2012
![[Shanghai Inland River Steamer Transport Co.]](../images/c/cn~sirs.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 3 September 2006
Recently at Boone Scripophily was
a 1939 Chinese share for ‘Shanghai Inland River Steamer Transport Co. Ltd’ in
the ‘Navigation’ section.
As noted:
10 Shares. brown, yellow, black. No 52. Fine vignettes of two of the company's river-steamers on the river. Also the company's flag, also seen on the steamers. Text all in Chinese. Two punch-holes near edge.
Jan Mertens, 2 September 2006
![[Shenzhen Peng Xing Shipping Co]](../images/c/cn~spxs.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 19 January 2011
Shenzhen Peng Xing Shipping Co., Ltd at Shekou Industrial Zone, Nanshan
District (Shenzen, China) is a high-speed ferry operator. English version
website.
In their own words (offering a bit of history as well):
"Shenzhen Pengxing Shipping Company Ltd. was formerly known as the Shenzhen
Shipping Company established in 1982. The company was jointly controlled (...)
by Shenzhen People Government and Guangzhou Maritime Transport Bureau of the
Ministry of Communication.
In December 1997, due to the re-structuring of the organization, Shenzhen
Shipping Company was taken over by Shenzhen Shipping Head Office. In 2004 the
company was renamed Shenzhen Pengxing Shipping Company Limited."
We learn that since 1983 the company has been operating ferry local routes,
purely domestic ones (including local tourist spots) and others linking Shekou
to Macao, Kowloon, and Hong Kong. See this map:
http://p18.webauto.cn/Catalog_39.aspx
The fleet consists of eight high-speed catamarans, presented here (photos and
descriptions):
http://p18.webauto.cn/Catalog_52.aspx
Shown on top of page and painted on the ships' hulls, the striking house flag is
mainly red while two white small, horizontal, and hooked (opposite) lines start
from the flag's vertical edges, each from one side. Put simply: a large red
initial 'S' almost completely filling up a white field!
Drawing taken from site, there is a somewhat enlarged
image. No
real flag seen on photos or in filmlets.
Jan Mertens, 14 January 2011
![[Yangsee River Transport]](../images/c/cn~yrtco.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 23 March 2006
One of the gems offered in Boone Scripophily's recent auction was a share of
the Yangtze
River Transport Co.
Comments: “50 Shares, 2500 yuan. blue, green, black, red. No 210. Issued during
the period of Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Company flag. Text in Chinese.”
Year of issue was 1943. The house flag is shown at the top of the document
and is horizontally divided: the background being white, on the upper half are
placed four red stripes whereas the lower half contains a red saltire touching
the lower stripe.
Jan Mertens, 20 March 2006
The flag is a highly modified version of the Chinese ideogram 長 (Chá ng) from 長江 (Cháng Jiāng), the modern Chinese name of the Yangtze River. It was common for many flags in Japan and Japanese-controlled areas to adopt flags bearing highly modified ideograms. Examples include:
Miles Li, 23 March 2006
