^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Houseflags of Norwegian maritime companies (B)

B. Stolt Nielsen
B.J. Ruud-Pedersen A/S
Bachke & Co
Bergenske Dampskibsselskab
Bergesen d.y ASA
Bergh & Helland
Bergshav Management AS

B. Stolt Nielsen

image by Jarig Bakker
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, 1926 ^[9]

Haugesund - red flag bordered white; white "S".
Jarig Bakker, 11 February 2005

B.J. Ruud-Pedersen A/S

image by Jarig Bakker, 23 January 2006
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World ^[4]

Oslo - Spanish-style Blue-White-Blue swallowtail; on white blue "R-P".
Jarig Bakker, 23 January 2006

Bachke & Co

image by Jarig Bakker
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, 1926 ^[9]

Trondhjem - red flag, white "B".
Jarig Bakker, 30 Janurary 2004

Bergenske Dampskibsselskab

image by Jan Oskar Engene

image by James Dignan
Source: The dumpy book of ships and the sea ^[16]

Newcastle - Bergen Service

House flag: Red Burgee with Blue Borders, top and bottom, two White Bands and BDS over Star in White on Red.
Jarig Bakker, 13 October 2003

It was founded in Bergen in 1851. According to my sources, the letters were arranged in a semi-circular pattern above the star.
Jan Oskar Engene, 16 October 2003

In All about Ships and Shipping 1959 the letters are in a row, like James drew them, so possibly two variations existed. Description: Red Burgee with Blue Border, top and bottom, two White Bands and BDS over Star in White on Red. Funnel: Black, with three White Bands.
Jarig Bakker, 16 October 2003

The letters also appear in a straight line in "Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours"
Ned Smith, 16 October 2003

Given that the BDS existed for more than 130 years, variation in house flag and funnel is not unlikely. However, I am not sure that such variation actually occurred with the BDS house flag.

Last night I went through an illustrated history of the company, the book by shipping historian Dag Bakka jr: Bergenske: Byen og selskapet (Bergen: Seagull, 1993). Judging from ship photos of real house flags the letters were arranged in an arch (or semi-circle to use the term of yesterday) and this is how it remained throughout the company's 132 years. However, in printed material, the BDS used a logo consisting of a drawing of a flying house flag - as if it folded out in the wind. In these drawings the letters appear to be in a line. In real use, however, the letters appear to have been arranged in an arch. The back cover of Bakka's book illustrates the house flag and funnels of the BDS in colour. The house flag has the letters in an arch. The funnel was originally black with three white rings, at a later date (1960's ?) changed to yellow with three white rings.
Jan Oskar Engene, 17 October 2003

Bergesen d.y ASA

image by Ivan Sache

The first Bergesen shipping business was founded in the XIX century by Berge Bergesen in Stavanger. His great-grandson Sigval Bergesen founded in 1935 the Bergesen company, buying his first tanker the same year. The number of tankers was 4 in 1950 and 7 in 1955. In 1967, the company diversified in dry bulk cargo shipping. Sigvald Bergesen retired in 1976, aged 83, and the company became a public company in 1978. The same year, the company started gas transportation, taking over six vessels ordered by the defunct Fearlney & Eger company. In 1996, Bergesen merged with Havtor ASA, owning then more than 100 vessels.

Since April 2003, the company is a fully-owned subsidiary of World-Wide Shipping. It hires 3,500 people and has offices in France, Japan, the United States, the Philippines, India and Latvia.

The flag is 3:4, swallow-tailed, white with a green diagonal stripe and the black monogram of the company, made of a B and an half-anchor.
Ivan Sache, 30 November 2003

Bergh & Helland, Bergen

image by Jarig Bakker
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, ^[9]

White flag blue "B&H".
Jarig Bakker, 24 December 2004

Bergshav Management AS

image by Ivan Sache
Source: Bergshav.com

The Bergshav family has been involved in shipping since 1772, when they operated their first vessel called "Fortuna".

In 1930, J.M. Ugland, grandfather of the present Bergshav owner, founded the AS Ugland Rederi. In 1980, Ugland operated car carriers, tankers, bulk carriers and owned a repair yard. Bergshav Management was founded in 1989 following the de-merger of Ugland.

The flag is red with (apparently) a thin white border and a white stylized B in the middle. This flag is fairly similar to the house flag of Ugland, which is also used by the branch of the company incorporated in Bermuda, Andreas Ugland & Sons Ltd.
Ivan Sache, 30 November 2003, with textual corrections 28 September 2006

Bergshav Management - Brown rendition

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 October 2005
Source: Brown’s Flags and Funnels of Shipping Companies of the World, 1995 ^[4]

According to Brown 1995 there is no white border in hoist and fly i.e. only in chief and base.
Neale Rosanoski 26 August 2004

Grimstad - Spanish-style white-red-white - opened white "B".
Jarig Bakker, 18 October 2005

image by Neale Rosanoski, 31 August 2010

The actual flag as shown flying in a ship photo, which though small, under the magnifier shows no white at hoist with the fly being less definite, but I am happy with it in the circumstances, supported by my image and turns out to be a mixture of the two shown by FOTW. Ivan's is based on the flag image logo shown on the company website and this has had white added to the hoist and fly presumably to provide a better contrast with the background but it explains why these look narrower than those at top and bottom. The format is thus in line with that shown by Brown 1995 and imaged by Jarig as "Bergshav Management – Brown rendition" but that has the white too wide and also the shape of the "3" like stylized "B" differs with the shape being in line with Ivan's rendition but I make that to be too thin. Both company names apply – it was formed in 1988/9 as Bergshav A/S and changed in 1999 to Bergshav Management A/S.
Neale Rosanoski, 31 August 2010