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Alpina Reederei AG, Switzerland

image by Jarig Bakker, 25 July 2006

About the flag

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About the Flag

Horizontally striped blue and white (seven stripes in all) with a square Swiss flag in canton (height of the canton: three horizontal stripes).
Ivan Sache, 23 August 2002

For the presentation this beautiful house flag I had to piece together the company history from a variety of sources, hopefully without too many hiccups. The firm’s seat was at Basel, Switzerland. The following page shows a number of Swiss house flags, among them one at the top identified as “Alpina” (blue stripes, Swiss canton; move mouse over flag): http://www.swiss-ships.ch/reeder/fr_reeder.htm. Furthermore, the site shows a number of sea-going vessels belonging to "Alpina", as the Schweizerische Reederei (i.e. Swiss Shipping Co.) was mostly called. In order to show the flag in use and another drawing, I add some links to Binnenvaart pages presenting the ‘Antilope’ (interestingly, the Dutch branch is named ‘Alpina Scheepvaart Maatschappij NV’, Rotterdam): http://www.debinnenvaart.nl/schependb/inhoud.php?action=tel&id=474 and the ‘Unterwalden’: http://www.debinnenvaart.nl/schependb/inhoud.php?action=tel&id=796 and there are more on that site, illustrated in b/w as well as in colour.

Some company history distilled mainly from: http://www.rhenus.ch/en/untabogeschichte.cfm. Foundation of the ‘Schweizerische Schleppschiffahrtsgenossenschaft’ (essentially meaning “Swiss Towage Co.”) during the decade 1910-1920; one source indicates 1919: http://www.ub.unibas.ch/wwz/swa/204-347.htm. Expansion to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium during the next decade and construction of first dock at Basel. Then moving into transportation on acquiring a share of Alpina AG; in 1938 new name ‘Schweizerische Reederei AG’ (government participation). Second dock constructed; by then, WWII has broken out. Company becomes a sea carrier as well, keeping open Switzerland’s supply lines during war. A tanker division is established: Cisalpina Reederei. The important Swiss concern Migross (best known as a supermarket chain, I believe) founds Reederei Zürich after the war; it will develop in the background, for now.

In the ‘seventies, Schweizerische Reederei and Neptun AG amalgamate and during the next decade, Migros acquires part of them; finally most shares belong to Migros only to see it go towards Rhenus (2000) which is to become Rhenus-Alpina. In our time, this group continues to expand by acquiring an impressive number of companies some of which are active in road transport, or containers, or which operate terminals: diversifying.

For nostalgic souls (reading French), following text presents Gottfried Streuli, old skipper of the Schweizerische Reederei, recalling past events and situations: http://www.letemps.ch/dossiers/dossiersarticle.asp?ID=140524. Preferring inland shipping to the high seas (where, he maintains, you never meet anyone), he has pinned the house flag above his bed. And all of us, I am sure, will approve.
Jan Mertens, 25 July 2006

Alpina Reederei A.G, Dates back to the 1930s when a stake was acquired by Swiss Shipping Co. Ltd. What its initial activities were is not known but Lloyds list it as becoming a shipowner in 1951 and it still operates. The flag was shown by the Josef Nüsse table flags site.
Neale Rosanoski, 2 August 2010