Broströms (shipping company: Sweden)

According to A survey of mercantile houseflags & funnels by J.L. Loughran (Wolverhampton, 1979) ^[2] page 48:

"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."

Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000

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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

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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

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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

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

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

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

Rederi A/B Motortank (Axel Brostrom & Son, Gothenburg)
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000

See also Broströms

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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

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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

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

Gothenburg - seven stripes of blue and red; in center white "O".
Jarig Bakker, 19 January 2005

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

From Gothenburg.
Phil Nelson, 21 September 2000

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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

A/B Tirfing (Axel Broström & Son, Gothenburg)
Mark Sensen, 21 November 2000

See also Broströms