Last modified: 2021-08-25 by christopher oehler
Keywords: house flag | shipping: sweden | broströms | broströms tender service | albatross | bunkeroljor | erik thun | angbats | motortank | sverige-lavanten | timex | tirfing |
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Broströms flag, pre-2000
image by Jorge Candeias
Broströms flag, post-2000
image by Jarig Bakker
Source: Josef Nüsse [5]
According to A survey of mercantile houseflags & funnels by J.L. Loughran (Wolverhampton, 1979) [2] page 48:
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000"A constant theme in the marks of many of the constituent companies of the Brostrom group of Stockholm, is a pattern of red and blue bands, generally with a company initial in white. An example of this is the houseflag and funnel of Angfartygs A/B Tirfing, formed in 1890, and owners today of giant tankers and bulk carriers. Other companies with similar markings within the group are Brostroms Tender Service A/B, Rederi A/B Motortank, Svenska Orient linien and Angbats A/B Ferm, founded in 1883, and the oldest company in the group. [...] The red stripes are said to represent the metal castings forming the first cargoes of his vessels, and the blue stripes the Gota Alv, down which they began their voyages. A more homely origin of these markings is that Axel Brostrom used the handiest material for his first houseflag, which happened to be an old red and blue striped skirt belonging to his wife. Many houseflags seem to have similar sponteneous beginnings."
Broströms is situated in Gothenburg and is listed on the Stockholm Stock
Exchange since 1998. Its homepage is at http://www.brostroms.se/.
Quoting the homepage: "Broström is one of the leading logistics
providers for the oil and chemical industries, focusing on marine
transportation."
Elias Granqvist, 17 March 2001
Loughran's comments are made in connection with the original flag which is
shown under Angfartygs A/B Tirfing (through
which company they mainly operated initially). The version shown here by FOTW
is presumably taken from the company website logo and there is thus doubt
whether it actually existed. In 1998 the company after a merger became Broström
Van Ommeren Shipping A/B with a new flag shown by Josef Nüsse which
places the whole of the website logo including the legend "BROSTRÖM"
on a very broad horizontal white band between narrow blue bands top and
bottom. Names on houseflags are not normal and usually tend to be for shore
advertising purposes so it is not clear whether this flag is actually flown at
sea or whether there they use a version without the letters which then equates
to the funnel band i.e. blue with a white band bearing the logo less the
legend, which has verified by a sighting.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2003
The post-2000 flag by Jarig from the Nüsse site [5] resulted from
the 2000 renaming of the parent company from
Broström Van Ommeren Shipping A/B to Broström A/B and combined the
traditional Broström flag with a green panel from Koninklijke Vopak
N.V. who were at that stage the largest Broström shareholder (they
sold out in 2002). From my earlier comment in August 2003 I can now confirm
that this flag is used at sea having been confirmed from a photo of
the "Bro Grace" taken June 2005.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2006
image by Mark
Sensen, 21 November 2000
Source: J.L. Loughran: A survey of mercantile houseflags & funnels [2]
Broströms Tender Service, Gothenburg
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000
See also Broströms
image contributed by Neale Rosanoski, 16 January 2007
A white flag with a lightish blue circle bearing
the white combined letters "AB" clearly
indicates its Broström connection although the entries in Lloyds in
the 1960s give no indication apart from the address being that of
Broström. There was one vessel, the "Albatross" built in 1942 being a
fore and aft rigged schooner with an auxiliary engine which was used
by Broströms as a training ship from at least 1947 until sold in 1966.
The operator in Lloyds is shown as Eric Th. Christiansson who just
happened to be the managing director of Broström Line Agency and the
groups shipping technical director for over 30 years from 1934 until
his retirement. The flag is sourced from a Collectors Corner cap badge
and the Broström centenary book whilst a black and white photo of the ship flying
it appears on the Kommandobryggan site.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 January 2007
image contributed by Neale Rosanoski, 16 January 2007
Another Broström Gothenburg company providing
bunkering services from 1938 and in the 1960s-70s had a small 219T
tanker. A sister company of Rederi A/B Albatross, the flag according
to the Collector Corner cap badge, was the same except the blue was
darker. It appears to have become part of
Broström Oil A/B which continued providing bunkering services until
the end of 2003.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 January 2007
image by Jarig Bakker 26 November 2005
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of
the World, 1995 [4]
Lidköping - blue swallowtail bordered yellow; white "ETAB".
Jarig Bakker, 26 November 2005
According to the company site at www.thun.se the
company was formed in 1938 by Helge Källsson, named after a deceased
formed owner and remains as a family concern although according to
Bröstroms they bought it out entirely in 1995. The flag as shown by
the site, and described in a section devoted to the logo, has a white
border as well as white letters and this version is shown by US Navy
1961 and also by two cap badges appearing on the Collectors Corner
website. However the Josef Nüsse [5] table flag site shows a version
whereby both the border and the letters are yellow and this is the
colour scheme which is shown on the ships' funnels. Where the version
from Brown 1982 [3] and 1995 [4]
with its yellow border but white letters fits in is unclear.
Neale Rosanoski, 13 April 2006
image by Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000
Source: J.L. Loughran: "A survey of mercantile houseflags
& funnels", [2]
Ferm Ångbåts A/B (Axel Broström & Son,
Gothenburg)
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000
See also Broströms
image by Phil Nelson
Source: Colin Stewart and John B. Styring: Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours,
1963 [6].
Rederi A/B Motortank (Axel Brostrom & Son, Gothenburg)
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000
See also Broströms
All other sources show the flag bands being of equal width which seems
correct as it was part of the Broström Group
and using a variation of their flag.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2003
The Broström centenary history confirms that the
flag bands are equal in line with similar group flags, the "M" being
correctly shown in relationship to the red bands.
Neale Rosanoski, 23 June 2006
image by Ivan Sache, 6 August 2006
Formed 1911 by Dan Broström it was changed in 1927 to the Swedish Orient Line.
The 1925 publication Almanacco Marine Mercantili shows
a different coloured version of black and yellow bands although the black colouring looks more like a
dark grey as though there has been a bit of accidental colour mixing
during printing so the accuracy is suspect. Interestingly the Broström
company centenary history makes no mention of a special flag for this
subsidiary and shows it flying the pre 2000 [1998] flag but the
existence of the version shown by Jarig from Brown 1929 is supported
by a cap badge in the Collectors Corner website
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2006
Purported prior version
image by Jarig Bakker,
19 January 2005
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies,
1926 [9]
Gothenburg - seven stripes of blue and red; in
center white "O".
Jarig Bakker, 19 January 2005
post-1966 flag
image by Jarig Bakker
pre-1966 flag
image by Ivan Sache, 6 August 2006
The company was formed in 1939 but was not activated until 1960 and then generally operated with chartered
tonnage. Rederi A/B Timex operated through the 1960s under Paul Pålsson of
Gothenburg. According to an article in Marine News 3/1970 it was part of the Broström
group (which appears to fit as the vessels had a "Bro" prefix)
and in 1966 the flag was changed to a horizontal multi-band of 4 dark blue and
3 light blue stripes with a white "T" overall the 2nd to 3rd dark
bands which was more in line with the Broström format. The "Timex"
name would appear to unconnected with the watchmakers.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2003, 5 August 2006
erroneous report
image by Phil Nelson, 21 September 2000
Source: Colin Stewart and John B. Styring: Flags, Funnels and
Hull Colours, 1963 [6].
From Gothenburg.
Phil Nelson, 21 September 2000
According to the Broström centenary history the pre-1996 flag shown by Stewart is incorrect and should be orange with a
narrower black band surmounted by a white circle bearing a black "T".
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2006
image by Phil Nelson
Source: Colin Stewart and John B. Styring: Flags, Funnels and
Hull Colours, 1963 [6].
A/B Tirfing (Axel Broström & Son, Gothenburg)
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000
See also Broströms
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 October 2007
Formed in 1988 and operating out of Råå the
funnel of their tug "Alice af Råå" shows what is probably their flag
of a white swallowtail with a blue "T" though this is an assumption.
According to Lloyds the company is now part of Erik Thun A/B.
Neale Rosanoski, 8 June 2007
image contributed by Neale Rosanoski, 12 March 2007
From Gothenburg they are part of
the Broström Group
being a subsidiary of Broström Tankers A/B. Their exact capacity
within the organization is unknown but does not appear to incorporate
ship owning or operating. Their table flag as shown by
Josef Nüsse [5] is
white with a dark blue panel bearing a white "W" above a white anchor
and stylized letter "t" joined by their horizontal arms.
Neale Rosanoski, 12 March 2007