Inland Shipping (The Netherlands and Belgium)

Binnenscheepvaart (België/Nederland)

Last modified: 2007-12-22 by jarig bakker
Keywords: inland navigation | schuttevaer |
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• Dutch/Belgian Inland Navigation Associations
• ASV
• Bureau Voorlichting Binnenvaart
• CBOB
• CBRB flag, logo
• Kantoor Binnenvaart flag, pennant
• Nederlandse RK Bond van Reders en Schippers St. Nicolaas
• Vereniging Belgische Reders der Binnen- en Rijnvaart
• Onafhankelijke Nederlandse Schippersvakbond
• Schuttevaer
• VHN (Vereniging van Havenmeesters in Nederland)

• The Netherlands
• The Netherlands - Index of all pages
• Houseflags of Dutch Shipping Companies
• Houseflags of Shipping Companies

Dutch/Belgian Inland Navigation Associations

ASV

Rotterdam-based ASV is a Dutch non-profit organization defending the interests of its members, independent inland shipping operators. Founded in 1946, ASV has retained old spelling for its name: Algemeene Schippers Vereeniging (General Bargemen Association), with homepage.
Logically, the position and viewpoint of the independent operator dominate procedures, policy, and organization (direct action of members), demands for fair dealing, etc.
Sharing fourth place in terms of member companies, ASV ranks sixth in terms of tonnage (1999  Dutch inland navigation survey). It may be small but has a reputation for fiercely defending its viewpoints. In this respect, see this article (in Dutch).
But to the flag… It consists of the simplified ASV mark or seal, in white, near the hoist of a blue flag: letters ‘ASV’ arranged vertically and horizontally in a cross shape (the ‘S’ of course only used once) within a ring.
The seal (name and place name added, surrounding the initials) can best be seen on the former site.
‘Diashow Jubileumvergadering’ (jubilee slideshow) shows a ASV pennants in pictures 1 and 2; some slides show rectangular table flags.
Jan Mertens, 2 Nov 2006

Bureau Voorlichting Binnenvaart

This flag, seen and giffed by Jarig, represents the Dutch ‘Bureau Voorlichting Binnenvaart’ i.e. “Inland Shipping Information Agency”.
A white curved line starting in the lower hoist and ending as a straight line high in the fly divides two fields, the upper one sky blue and the lower one, green; in the green field are placed a large itialic initial ‘B’ and to the right of it, a white-bordered blue disk containing a white italic initial ‘v’ (lower case).

Website of this organization (interesting flagoid leads to English version).
On this page (centre photo of third row, clickable) we can see the flag flying on the ‘Vysa’, along with the Aerts house flag, already at FOTW-ws.

Quote from BVB website:  "The Inland Shipping Information Agency is an independent organisation that aims to promote water-based transport by means of promotion and information.  (…)  The BVB also plays an active role in promoting relations between the various parties in the industry, such as transporters, shippers and the authorities. In doing so, the interests of the sector as a whole are always the priority. (…)  The agency informs all organisations within the sector about the policies, activities and results to date.  The main BVB sponsors are a large number of inland shipping operators, shipping companies and suppliers. In addition, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, the Rotterdam Municipal Port Authority and the Schuttevaer Weekly support the BVB.”
Jan Mertens, 26 Aug 2006

To my annoyance I see the flag regularly and not as I giffed it for FOTW. Now the firm presents downloads at the society's site, which I used for an improved image
Jarig Bakker, 26 May 2007

CBOB

CBOB is the "Christelijke Bond van Ondernemers in de Binnenvaart" (Christian Union of Entrepeneurs in Inland Shipping) in the Netherlands.
It has its secretariat in Rotterdam and tries to support small family businesses.
I found no website, some info is here - a link reported by Jan Mertens some time ago.
This afternoon I observed a cbob-flag in the Hem-haven between Amsterdam and Zaanstad - and it is hung at this page.
The flag consists of horizontal stripes orange - white - orange - white - blue - white - blue - white - orange of varying width; on the second highest (white) stripe "cbob" in blue in the form of a ship.
Jarig Bakker, 10 Jul 2006

CBRB

Yet another inland shipping oriented body found in the Netherlands is CBRB (‘Centraal Bureau voor de Rijn- en Binnenvaart’ or Central Office for Rhine and Inland Navigation), the flag of which is found on a photo in Michael Harms’s online collection. click Gallery / Binnenschiffe / Tankschiffe / M / Mercury. For better detail see the homepage (in Dutch), or in a nutshell (same language): there is the logo: a hexagon horizontally divided dark blue over sea-green, a thin white horizontal stripe between them, in the upper part initials ‘CBRB’ in white, mirrored as in water (reflected but broken up) in the lower part: here, the letters are rendered in white and a lighter tint of sea-green.

The flag bears the logo – in fact this takes up most of the field – and repeats its horizontal division.  Judging by the photo the white horitonzal stripe stays well inside the hexagon: it does not divide the two stripes.

CBRB is based at Rotterdam and presents itself as the largest organization in this field representing employers and companies, about 400 in all, plus about 250 independent shipowners active in all branches of inland shipping.  This implies public relations, committee work, lobbying, investigative work, finance and the economy, the evolution in transportation, tariffs, safety, competition, law, technical matters, etc.
Jan Mertens, 25 Sep 2006

CBRB logo

Kantoor Binnenvaart

‘Kantoor Binnenvaart’ (i.e. Inland Shipping Office’)  the website of this Dutch interest group or association is of some interest, flagwise: KB unites a number of mainly Dutch employers’ associations:
- CBOB
- ONS
- “S St N” or NRKBRS St.Nicolaas
- VBR (BE)
- Bond van Eigenschippers (BE)
- AMV
- KSCCRB

Jarig recently spotted – and giffed - the Kantoor Binnenvaart flag: white field, large orange initials ‘KB’ (italic, no serifs) through the lower part of which ambles a very thin white waving line; over all – also italic without serifs -  is placed the full name ‘Kantoor Binnenvaart' in blue letters.

Have a look at the top of above KB’s particular page and the specific title: /K/antoor /B/innenvaart in blue letters (where /./ indicates an itialic initial) over a light blue wave.  Words & wave appear on a long white pennant, bordered in blue here.

Given the way the flags are fastened to the wall I think we may assume that KB’s pennant really ends in a point.
Jan Mertens, 26 May 2007

Kantoor Binnenvaart pennant

Nederlandse RK Bond van Reders en Schippers St. Nicolaas

On this site we find following flags:
Nederlandse RK Bond van Reders en Schippers St. Nicolaas (Dutch Roman Catholic Association of Shipowners and Shippers St Nicholas), Rotterdam, NL.  This particular saint is venerated by seamen and by extension, inland shippers.
Flag: horizontal horizontal Green - Yellow - Green, Black letters S St N.
Jan Mertens, 26 Nov 2003

Vereniging Belgische Reders der Binnen- en Rijnvaart

On this site we find following flags:
Vereniging Belgische Reders der Binnen- en Rijnvaart (Association of Belgian Shipowners of Inland and Rhine Navigation), Schoten, BE.
Flag: Yellow with narrow Blue horizontal edges, Red letters VBR. (Perhaps the thin black lines are part of the design.).
Jan Mertens, 26 Nov 2003

Onafhankelijke Nederlandse Schippersvakbond

Marktplaats, a Dutch site comparable to eBay, had a real item on offer under no. 1832803613, now withdrawn.
Quote from this site, translated (where 'shippers' means 'people operating their own barge'):
"The Onafhankelijke Nederlandse Schippersvakbond (Independent Dutch Shippers' Association) (...wants to...) defend the socio-economic interests of its members in order to guarantee optimized professional activities in inland navigation.  The ONS board is exclusively made up of shippers."
Seat: Rotterdam.
Jan Mertens, 26 Apr 2006

Schuttevaer

Jan Mertens reported this link. Koninklijke Schuttevaer (the main Dutch Inland Shipping Society) - orange flag; in top a white crown; in center white "S"; in bottom a wavy blue stripe fimbriated white. - it edits the magazine Schuttevaer, read eagerly by the Mertens family, as dad Mertens was a civil servant working for the Belgian Department of Inland Shipping. Schuttevaer was founded in 1849.
Jarig Bakker, 9 Mar 2005

"S" and crown yellow instead of white, as requested by Jan Mertens, and according to my observation of many barges - it is a popular flag.
Jarig Bakker, 26 May 2007

VHN (Vereniging van Havenmeesters in Nederland)

VHN or ‘Vereniging van Havenmeesters in Nederland’ (Association of Harbour Masters in the Netherlands) was founded at Utrecht in 1949 and is established at Amsterdam.  Homepage (in Dutch), or here.
While stressing the fact that it is not a union, VHN has its members’ interests at heart and is consulted in questions regarding the safe running of harbours and waterways.  Also there is an effort to keep abreast of technical developments and informing its members (about 120) about them.

The association’s logo is shown on the website and also appears – in a slightly different form - on a flag: see various photos of the 2007 congress (click ‘Fotoboek’, left menu). Blue field, yellow upright anchor in the centre the stock of which is replaced by white initials ‘VHN’.  On the flag the initial ‘V’ is slanted to make the acronym more symmetrical (compare with the initials as they appear in the logo – and there are no flukes, either).
Jan Mertens, 16 Nov 2007