![[Alpina Reederei AG]](../images/c/ch~alpin.gif)
Last modified: 2011-01-08 by rob raeside
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image by
Jarig Bakker, 25 July 2006
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
Anything below the following line isnt part of the Flags of the World Website and was added by the hoster of this mirror.
