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Shell Corporation

Last modified: 2023-11-25 by zachary harden
Keywords: shell |
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Royal Dutch Shell Corporation

[Shell Tankers] image by Jarig Bakker, 20 Oct 2003
See image at National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Shell Tankers N.V., Den Haag; houseflag: red, with white disk, fimbriated black, charged with a yellow shell.
Image from Flagchart of houseflags of Dutch shipping companies, attached to the magazine "De Blauwe Wimpel", April 1956.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Oct 2003

The Royal Dutch Shell plc (commonly known as Shell), is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company incorporated in the United Kingdom and headquartered in the Netherlands. Created in 1907 by the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport & Trading, it is the largest company in the world, in terms of revenue, and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors".
On March 2, 2014, I found several pictures with the official Shell flag (See the picture of the flag in their Amsterdam office and the picture of the flag in their London office)
The official flag is a horizontal flag with a yellow vertical stripe on the mast, then a vertical red stripe (half in size regarding the yellow stripe) and then the rest of the horizontal white flag bears the logo in the middle. (Source: Name and logo)
Esteban Rivera, 23 March 2014


Royal Dutch Shell Corporation flag
(Used in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom)

[Shell Oil flag used in Europe] image by Pete Loeser, 8 January 2015

This version of the Shell Oil Company flag is used in Europe. The Royal Dutch Oil Company is incorporated in The Netherlands and United Kingdom.
Pete Loeser, 8 January 2015


Shell Mex and B. P. Ltd.

Shell Mex and B. P. Ltd. houseflag image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of Shell Mex and B. P. Ltd., London. A rectangular flag divided horizontally white over yellow with a red and a green vertical stripe placed, slightly separated, across the centre. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn."
Jarig Bakker, 28 August 2004

The red and green vertical stripes on this flag are based in the flag of Mexico, to which the company name also refers.
António Martins, 17 March 2005

Loughran (1979) shows an image with yellow extending from bottom to top between the red and green stripes. I suspect a printers' error has extended the yellow to the top of the flag. The company was actually involved in the UK coastal UK oil trade from c.1919 to 1975 as a joint venture between Shell-Mex and BP so I don't know about involving the Mexican colours. More likely I imagine it is a combination of the Shell colours with red-white and yellow with those of BP with green, red, yellow and white.
Neale Rosanoski, 19 March 2005

Shell Mex and B. P. Ltd. houseflag image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 May 2010

From a postcard collection: 11.1.4: Shell Mex & B.P.
Postcard #11, 1st row, 4th flag of the collection reads "Shell Mex & B.P." and shows an equal stripes variant, drawn from a real flag at National Maritime Museum website: I guess that either the author of the image on the collection simplified the original design, or the actual flag was carelessly sewn.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 May 2010

Shell Mex and B. P. Ltd. houseflag
image by Jarig Bakker

Shell-Mex & B.P. Ltd. Up until 1963 they had a yellow flag with a green cross, in the canton a red shell and in the 4th quarter a white shield bearing a black "BP". Loughran (1979) shows a slightly different version of the next flag which is shown here with the vertical bands becoming a narrow triband of red-yellow-green placed at the centre, whilst Ridley Chesterton in his 1967 book Coastal Ships describes a flag of white over yellow over white bands (see below).
Neale Rosanoski, 17 March 2005

Shell Mex and B. P. Ltd. houseflag image by António Martins, 17 March 2005

The Ridley Chesterton flag I have doubts on as it is possible that he has just assumed that it would be the same as the funnel bands and I would have thought that if it had existed then Loughran (1979), with his book of 12 years later, would have noted its existence. But he has described it so fair enough that it be shown.
Neale Rosanoski, 19 March 2005

What was originally Bowring Petroleum became, or was taken over by, Anglo-Mexican Petroleum, who sold Mex Motor Spirit. By 1921 Shell had taken over Anglo-Mexican and become Shellmex. Later the suffix 'mex' was dropped.
David Prothero, 26 March 2005


Shell Tankers Ltd.

Shell Tankers Ltd. houseflag image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of Shell Tankers Ltd., London. A red rectangular flag with a white disc in the centre bearing a gold shell. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn."
Jarig Bakker, 28 August 2004

Shell Tankers Ltd. houseflag image by Miles Li, 8 November 2019
Shell Tankers Ltd. houseflag image by Jarig Bakker

Shell Tankers Ltd. The flag was common to members of the international group. According to Loughran (1979) in 1963 there was a change to white with a broad red pale bearing the yellow shell followed in 1972 by a change in design of the shell with the flutings reduced to 7 though he shows 8 in his image and this is confirmed by photos of the shell appearing on funnels.
Neale Rosanoski, 17 March 2005

Shell Tankers Ltd. houseflag

In 1973 the flag was altered to unequal vertical bands of yellow-red-white with the shell outlined red and placed on the white.
Neale Rosanoski, 17 March 2005


Flag used in the U.S.

[Flag of Shell Oil Company] image by Pete Loeser, 28 February 2013

This is a flag of the Shell Oil Company around my part of the United States.
Pete Loeser, 28 February 2013


Shell Oil Pin
(Promotion using signal flags to encouraging courteous driving habits in the United States)

    
Images from Mark K. Baskerville, 25 February 2013 and Andy Behrens, 8 March 2013

The shell represents Shell Oil, and the signal flags "GRP" are the old signal code for "Give Way". This pin is a license-plate ornament that was given out by American Shell dealers as part of an advertising campaign to promote courteous driving habits.
Andy Behrens, 8 March 2013