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DTG (German Shipping Company)

Deutsche Transport-Genossenschaft Binnenschifffahrt

Last modified: 2019-08-12 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: dtg | tgb | deutsche transport-genossenschaft binnenschifffahrt | elbia | oberweser privatschiffer | jus et justtitia | ptg |
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[Deutsche Transport-Genossenschaft Binnenschiffahrt] image by Eugene Ipavec, 4 Mar 2009 See also:

Deutsche Transport-Genossenschaft Binnenschiffahrt

The Deutsche Transport-Genossenschaft Binnenschiffahrt eG is essentially a transport cooperative for (private) inland navigation in Germany. Judging by the location of its branches, it is mainly active in Northern Germany (the main seat is that Mecca of European inland shippers, Duisburg): Paraphrasing what is said in the section on organization, the DTG wants to ensure high quality and continuous shipments for its members. Representing 140 barges in all, the cooperative is the largest of its kind in Germany. Since 1991 it also encompasses the regional fleets of Elbia-Eilfracht (on the Elbe), OPV (on the Weser), PTG (on the Rhine and affluent rivers) and TGB (Berlin region and River Oder).
The DTG flag displays a white diamond or lozenge touching the borders of the flag is held within black and red triangles (hoist) resp. red and black ones (fly); in the centre the black "DTG" initials (no serifs; the central "T" larger) are placed on a yellow stylized anchor.
Surely it is no coincidence that the flag contains both the former national colours black-white-red and the current black-red-yellow (it would be interesting to know just when DTG was founded). On the other hand, the area of activity is to a great extent that of the former state of Prussia.
Jan Mertens, 25 Mar 2006

DTG pennant

[DTG pennant] image by Eugene Ipavec, 25 Apr 2006

See also a DTG pennant, recently withdrawn from eBay (object no. 6620642469).
Thanks to the stylized form of the anchor, the pennant does not cause a substantial deformation of a design conceived for a rectangle.
Jan Mertens, 24 Apr 2006

The company's ships use a pennant, stuck upon the prow. It has the same pattern as the flag. I spotted this pennant on 28 March at Billwerder Bucht/Hamburg.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 June 2007

T.G.B. (Transport Genossenschaft Berlin)

[Transport Genossenschaft Berlin] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Mar 2009

T.G.B. was overtaken by WTG in 1990 after German reunion. I believe, T.G.B. was a shadow company of DTG, for being located in West-Berlin where the administrative control was practiced by allied four powers, Western German companies were not allowed to run branches there. After Germany regained full sovereignty the company was dissolved and became part of DTG.
The flag was very similar to that one of DTG, but the anchor also had a rope and the initials of the company upon the flag were dotted.
I spotted an image of this flag on 10 June 2007 on a ship in Billwerder Bucht in Hamburg.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Mar 2009

Elbia Eilfracht

[Elbia Eilfracht #1]
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Mar 2009 		[Elbia Eilfracht #2]
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Mar 2009 		[Elbia Eilfracht #3]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 July 2009 		     


Elbia Eilfracht was overtaken by WTG in 1990.
One version was a 5-stripes pennant with alternating horizontal red and white stripes, the white stripes slightly higher. In the upper white stripe was a black inscription "ELBIA", in the lower one "Eilfracht" (see image above). Another version displayed a 5-stripes pennant with alternating horizontal white and red stripes, the white stripes slightly higher. In the central white stripe was a black inscription "ELBIA" (see image above).

Apparently not all flags were triangular (as seen in the cloth by Klaus-Michael Schneider, in a flag book, or on a photo). Here, the white stripes are quite broad and the company name is mentioned in full, there is enough space, after all! As you can see, the words are slightly shifted to the left.
Sources: Pennants spotted at Turmweg flee market in Hamburg-Rotherbaum on 6 September 2008 by Klaus-Michael Schneider, flag German eBay offer no. 200315452243 (end 11 Mar 2009) put up by "freschkali", dimensions given as (approx.) 75 [cm] x 120 [cm]
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Mar 2009 and Jan Mertens, 8 July 2009

Oberweser Privatschiffer Vereinigung eV

[OPV unserifed]
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 July 2019 		[OPV unserifed dotted shifted]
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 July 2019 		[OPV serifed dotted]
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 July 2019 		     

The cooperative was established in 1911, caused by different points of view between the partial owners (German: Partikuliere) of ships and the towage companies in Minden and Bremen. Seat of the cooperative had been Minden and it had 65 members from the upper and central course of Weser River. In the legal form of a KG (Kapitalgesellschaft) the cooperative bought also own tugboats. On 1 October 1949 82 barges and 26 motor vessels belonged to the cooperative.
On 1 January 1986 the cooperative merged with another one, called PTG, the name of the new entity was OPV-PTG Binnenschifffahrt Zweigniederlassung der Partikulier-Transport-Genossenschaft Jus et Justitia eG, which means a branch of another registered cooperative (eG) named Jus et Justicia.
In 1991 many cooperatives could no longer perpetuate their independence and thus OPV, PTG, ELBIA-Eilfracht and TGB merged into DTG, seated in Duisburg.
The flag was a red-white-red horizontal triband like the flag of Austria. The white stripe had a black inscription in different versions: unserifed centred, unserifed dotted and shifted to the hoist or serifed dotted and centred, always "OPV".
Source: information provided by Klaus-Peter Bühne
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 July 2019

Partikulierschiffer Verband Jus et Justtitia

In 1890 lawyer Ernst Bassermann established this cooperative in his hometown Mannheim. Most partial ship owners alongside the Rhine joined this cooperative. In 1894 they established a proper hull insurance. In 1920 the cooperative moved to Duisburg-Ruhrort, being the centre of German inland shipping but kept a branch office in Mannheim. The cooperative was was changed in 1930 into Schifferbetriebs­Verband für den Rhein KdöR, (a corporation, subject public law) by German government. In 1948 the corporation , still being under governmental supervision ,was renamed into Schifferbetriebs­Verband Jus et Justitia and finally dissolved in 1972. Its economic successor then became Partikulier-Transport­Genossenschaft Jus et Justitia eG. The new cooperative operated on the Rhine, its confluences and canals, also all over northwestern Germany and in the seaports of Belgium and the Netherlands. The head office was in Duisburg-Ruhrort. In 1986 the cooperative merged with OPV and in 1991 both went under the umbrella of DTG. [PTG pennant] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 July 2019

The cooperative had a triangular horizontal tricolour pennant green-white-green, in a white diamond, shifted to hoist there was a black inscription "PTG", the "T" having double size.

[J&J flag] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 July 2019

There was also a flag of Jus et Justitia, but even Klaus-Peter Bühne doesn't know, whether it's the old flag of the cooperative itself or just the flag of its insurance company. That flag was blue with a white canton, charged with red inscription "J&J" over a blue anchor in pale.


Source: information provided by Klaus-Peter Bühne (marcollect.de)
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 July 2019

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