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Italy - Houseflags of Italian Maritime Companies (C)

Last modified: 2023-06-24 by rob raeside
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Callcestruzzi

image by Jarig Bakker, 1 September 2005

Callcestruzzi S.p.A., Ravenna - red flag, in center black disk, charged with two crescents forming a circle, surrounding a white "C".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 1 September 2005


Carboflotta

image by Ivan Sache, 2 November 2003

Gruppo Carboflotta (including Carbofin and Carbonor) is based in Genoa. The houseflag of the company is blue with a white B letter in the middle, flanked by two white stars. I assume B is the initial of the name of the founder or a former owner of the company.
Source: <www.omniainformatica.it>, located by Jan Mertens.
Ivan Sache, 2 November 2003

This is the cable address of Union Ligure Armamento S.r.l., formed 1952, with their shipping subsidiary (as at Lloyds 2000) being Carbofin S.p.A. [I have nothing on Carbonor but assume they are another subsidiary]. The flag is that of Bibolini Società di Navigazione S.p.A. and regular sources show the stars being erect i.e. top point straight up. There is a connection of some sort between the companies [possibly on a chartering bases] and also likely with other "Carbo" companies of the past but it is not clear. The Bibolini company originated pre WW2 as Giovanni B. Bibolini who had a blue flag bearing a white "B" only and Brown 1958 gives this livery as applying to Unione Ligure Armamento as well as to Transoceanica Genovese S.p.A. (latter not traced). Bibolini ceased to be shipowners sometime between 1985 and 1992.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 January 2004

Carbonor S.p.A. now located as formed 2000 as a name subsidiary of Carbofin S.p.A. By "name subsidiary" I mean one for which no address is given indicating that it only exists as a name under which ships are officially owned. Also, my previous comment referring to "this is the cable address" etc, would clarify better if it read as  "the website shows the cable address" etc.
Neale Rosanoski, 24 March 2004


CAREMAR - Campania Regionale Marittima

image by António Martins, 28 December 2008


new version

image by Jarig Bakker, 1 September 2005
old version

Soc. Campania Regionale Marittima S.p.A., (CAREMAR) Naples - Spanish-style BWB; in center fanged blue "C".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 1 September 2005

The old and new design can be seen at <www.naviearmatori.net>.
Jan Mertens, 30 November 2008

CAREMAR is a member of the Tirrenia Group.


Carlo Cameli

image by Miles Li, 26 June 2016

Source: Colin Stewart, Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours [ste63]
Miles Li, 18 June 2016


Carmelo Nolifu Giovanni

image by Jarig Bakker, 19 September 2005

Soc. Carmelo Nolifu Giovanni S.R.L., Savona - white flag; in center red 5-pointed star; at tophoist red serifed "S", in bottom hoist idem "N".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 19 September 2005


C.B.I. Navi spa

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 4 November 2017

A sort of a non-swallowtailed burgee, red, with dark blue stripes along the top and bottom edges and a yellow logo shifted to the hoist, consisting of the overlapping letters "N" and "C".
Jorge Candeias, 1 April 1999


C. Camuzzi E Cie

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2004

C. Camuzzi E Cie; Milano - green burgee; white disk charged with concentric "CCCI" in red.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26]
Jarig Bakker, 18 December 2004


China Shipping (Italy) Agency

image by Dov Gutterman, 4 November 2003

From <www.finsea.it>: "China Shipping (Italy) Agency Co. is the new "starring" Agency in the Italian Shipping world. Founded in the early 1999 through a joint venture between the Shanghai giant China Shipping (Group) Co. and the Genoese fast foregoing Finsea Holding, clustering Ship Agencies, Port Terminal and Logistic activities, CS(I)A became operative in the autumn same year."
The flag is blue logo on white, as seen in a photo at that page.
Dov Gutterman, 4 November 2003


Cogedar Line

Cogedar Line- Horizontal blue over red horizontal bicolor with large white disc overall. Inside the disc a black or brown motif relembling decorative Arabic script and above it, on the blue area, three five-pointed upright white stars in arc.
Source: Postcard collection sent to Martin Karner
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 June 2006

Photos at <www.rubylane.com>. My impression: entwined capital letters in script (so this would be 'CGA') but I could be wrong.
From <www.simplonpc.co.uk> "Cogedar was an acronym for Compagnia Genovese di Armamento. their first passenger ship was the Flaminia, following a rebuild of the freighter Genova in 1954. They subsequently acquired two further passenger ships, the Canadian Pacific Beaverbrae, and Cunard's Media, becoming the Aurelia and Flavia respectively. Costa Line had always had a financial interest in Cogedar, and in 1968 they took over the line completely. Aurelia was sold to Chandris Lines, and Flavia joined the the Costa Lines fleet." See also <paginas.terra.com.br>.
Jan Mertens, 16 June 2006

Image from <www.timetableimages.com> also showing some background from a brochure issued around 1960.
There are the blue-red stripes and the three white stars, plus - on the disk - a representation of St George slaying the dragon, rendered in black and white. St George, of course, is the patron saint of Genoa where this company was established.
Jan Mertens, 14 September 2006


Coeclerici Group

image by Jorge Candeias, 7 February 1999

White with two blue horizontal stripes along the upper and lower edges and the red logo shifted to the hoist. The logo is a pair of "C"s limited above and below by horizontal bars.
Jorge Candeias, 7 February 1999

A real flag from from: <www.coeclerici.com> can be seen here.
Dov Gutterman, 27 January 1999

Originated in 1909 from the partnership of Henry Coe and Alfonso Clerici Sr. beginning shipowning in 1912. In 1985 they operated through the newly formed subsidiary of Bulkitalia S.p.A. which merged in 1994 with Fermar S.p.A. to form Coeclerici Armatori S.p.A.
Neale Rosanoski, 11 April 2003


COMAG

COMAG Srl. is an Italian liner agency established at Naples, serving as Far East agents for the well-known French company CMA-CGM since 2007.  (Not to be confused with the Italian machine manufacturer of the same name).
A tiny house flag drawing is found at <www.omniainformatica.it>: Orange field (well, it looks like orange compared to the red hues on this page), white diamond touching the edges bearing blue company name “COMAG”.
Jan Mertens, 30 July 2009


Consorzio Piroscafo 'Sud'

image by Ivan Sache, 29 March 2008

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of "Consorzio Piroscafo 'Sud' (E. Pollich)" (#132, p. 43), a company based in Trieste (then in Austria-Hungary), as divided per saltire white-blue-white-blue, with a red border.
Ivan Sache, 29 March 2008


CO.RIM.A

image contributed by Jan Mertens, 17 July 2007

CO.RIM.A. or ‘Società Cooperativa Rimorchiatori Ancona’ (Cooperative Towage Co., Ancona) is a member of the Gesmar Group. Modest webpages concerning this company, based on the Adriatic. Quote from the ‘Our Company’ section: “CO.RIM.A was set up in 1984 to carry out towage services in the port of Ancona and in Falconara harbour (…and…) provides support to oil tankers unloading at the (…) A.P.I. refinery in Falconara harbour, and marine pollution control and remediation services.” Specifically included are ocean towage and salvage.
Interestingly the ‘Services’ section is of a general nature, describing what exactly above and related activities entail.  (The firm seems to operate three out of more than forty Gesmar Group tugs.).
A good drawing of the house flag found in a Google cache: quarterly divided clockwise yellow (top), blue (fly), red (bottom) and black (hoist); a white upright anchor over all, accompanied by small white serifed initials ‘S’ (left), ‘C’ (bottom, surmounted by the anchor), and ‘A’ (right).
This is a square flag, however the funnel of ‘Conero’ bears a rectangular one.
In any case the use of the 'Z' signal flag is a nice touch as it means "I require a tug"!
Jan Mertens, 17 July 2007


Corrado

image by Paul, 25 December 2002

Name: "Corrado," Societa di Navigazione.
Circa: early 1950s.
Source: Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours by Colin Stewart c.1956.
Note: Due to 4-color printing, exact shades are difficult to determine.
Paul, 25 December 2002

"Corrado" Società di Navigazione. Formed 1927 and operated until c.mid 1970s.
Neale Rosanoski, 11 April 2003

At the 1940 page at <www.24flotilla.com>: "Corrado", Genoa - The initial is less rounded here but this is probably not significant.
Jan Mertens, 5 January 2008


Corsica Ferries

image by Jarig Bakker, 18 November 2005

Corsica Ferries (Italia), S.r.l., Livorno - horizontal triband of blue and yellow; in center yellow disk, blue moor's head.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 18 November 2005

image by Ivan Sarajcic, 9July 2007

According to photo taken on July 5th 2006, at one of Corsica Ferries vessels, the flag is different from Jarig's report. Flag has white shield, outlined black charged with moore's head. Photo at <www.flagid.org>.
Ivan Sarajcic, 9July 2007

A flag, being (Irish!) eBay item 6635061764 offered by “138chi”, end 11 June 2006.  
The original comments was: “This lot comprises an Unknown Flag Ensign. The flag is of medium size, measuring circa 4 x 2.5 feet and is in very good used condition. This is a genuine well produced flag and judging by the central device, is probably from a warring faction in Africa (???).”
Jan Mertens, 9 July 2007


COSARMA (Compagnia Sicula di Armamento S.p.A.)

image by Miles Li, 18 June 2016

Source: Colin Stewart, Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours [ste63]
Miles Li, 18 June 2016


Costa Containers Lines

image by Jorge Candeias, 22 April 2002

Costa Containers Lines S. p. A. serves ports in 5 different geographical areas: South America, Central America, Canada-Cuba-Mexico, Mediterranean and West Africa. The logo consists of a rectangular field, divided black over dark red, diagonally from (if it indeed is a flag) lower hoist to upper fly, and charged with large yellow initials: CCL.
Source: "Carga e Transportes".
Jorge Candeias, 22 April 2002

The "Costa" shipping company is Italian and has its head offices in Genoa. One of its divisions is a "Costa Crociere", known by its trips of pleasure. Other one is "Costa Container Lines", whose agents in Portugal are Garland Navegacao Lda.
Aingeru Astui, 22 April 2002

I found the company website at <www.costacontainer.com>. Aingeru's information is confirmed. I was unable to find a proper flag, but it seems the red of the logo is a regular red, not the dark red as appars in the newspaper. I won't recolour my image, though, until it's proven that it's a proper houseflag and not just a logo...
Jorge Candeias, 22 April 2002

Viewing the company website I agree that the red is ordinary but point out that the black is actually blue. Not sure whether the flag exists but the design appears on the funnel so prospects are likely. Don't know about the connection with Costa Crociere S.p.A. as that company is now part of Carnival Corporation and that group is only involved in cruise shipping.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 January 2004

There is a drawing of the flag at <www.gapgroup.com>.
Jan Mertens, 2 April 2004

Costa Container Lines SpA - Jorge's  comment about not changing the colour from black to blue can now be rectified as the flag is now proven, not only being flown at sea but in full display on their website where it is shown in connection with the company becoming a subsidiary of Hamburg Süd, with normal proportions, unlike the logo. It is also shown as being equipment for sky diving on <www.costacontainer.com>.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 August 2008

Costa Container Lines. On 1.12.2007 they became part of the Hamburg Süd Group and from 1.1.2009 their brand ceased to be used as Hamburg Süd instituted a unified brand. The flag is therefore history. For the record the links that I gave for photos of the actual flag showed a normal rectangle and not the elongated version given by Jorge.
Neale Rosanoski, 24 March 2011


Costa Crociere

image by Jarig Bakker, 5 January 2006

Costa Crociere S.p.A., Genoa - yellow flag bordered blue, blue ""C"".
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World, compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 5 January 2006

Costa pennant, yellow with blue border and blue initial ‘C’ is at <www.partirencroisiere.fr>. A recent Italian eBay offer showed this pennant, giving dimensions of the “bandiera gagliardetto” as 0.75 m by 1.20 m. I do not know whether it replaces the house flag shown above or is used alongside it.
Jan Mertens, 25 May 2008

Costa Crociere. Began in the 1920s by Giacomo and Andrea Costa as Giacomo Costa fu Andrea, changing name in 1969 to Costa Armatori S.p.A. and then to Costa Crociere S.p.A. in around1986/7 after a reconstitution with the cargo ships going to Costa Container Line. Also known as the Blue "C" Line or Costa Line or Linea C, the flag shown by Jarig was noted under this first name by Stewart 1953 and 1963, under Costa Armatori SpA by Brown 1971 and 1982 and then as Costa Crociere by Brown 1985. In mid 1997 the company was taken over Airtours Plc and Carnival Corporation but by 2003 [at least] Carnival were sole owners. A variation in the original flag is shown by Brown 1958 which shows a pennant version also differing in its placing of the marks. Presumably the change in flag with the dropping of these marks, however they were positioned, resulted either from the initial sale or the subsequent complete take over by Carnival Corporation. So the pennant sourced by Jan [see it~c1020.gif attached] does appear to be the sole house flag now. The marks have also been dropped from the funnel design which now only shows a plain letter.
Neale Rosanoski, 24 March 2011


Cosulich

image by Jarig Bakker, 26 October 2003

At home I have a stout "Larousse Commercial Illustré" (a kind of trade encyclopedia) published in Paris, 1930. It has four pages in colour illustrating house flags; a note identifies it as the work of Sandy Hook.
In this book, I found "Cosulich" (Trieste - different from Fratelli Cosulich - see below): three horizontal stripes, the upper and lower one themselves horizontally divided red-white-red, the central one diagonally divided: upper and lower triangles green, the left and right ones white bearing a black C and T, respectively. The horizontal division is 4:7:4. The letters are at the extreme end of their respective triangles, where they have most space. The two RWR bands on the Cosulich flag have horizontal divisions. (Funnel: red-white-red, black at the top).
Jan Mertens, 26 October 2003

This is the same as Fratelli Cosulich. I presume that the "P" shown in the fly is incorrect as the text mentions "T",  and this version indeed is one I have missed spotting as it is shown by Brown 1926 who then in 1929 changes the letter to an "L".  "T" is also shown by the Lloyd Reedereiflaggen cigarette card collection of 1933 but this probably originates from Brown 1926. On the assumption that "T" signifies Trieste its use is logical whereas the meaning of  "L" is not clear but apart from Brown 1929 its use is also given by Reid-Corson and Bonsor in their books on the North Atlantic passenger trade although as the latter two do not specify where their information originates from this may not be proper support.
Jan's source does differ from most others though in the basic format as they show a further white band top and bottom between the central green-white diagonal quarters and the red bands. See here.
Neale Rosanoski, 3 January 2004

Flag at Brown's

image by Jarig Bakker, 24 January 2005

Soc. Triestina di Nav. "Cosulich", Trieste - top and bottom two red and two narrow white stripes; green center; at hoist and fly white triangle charged with black "C" and "T" respectively.
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels of British and Foreign Steamship Companies, compiled by F.J.N. Wedge, Glasgow, 1926 [wed26].
Jarig Bakker, 24 January 2005

Fratelli Cosulich

image by Jorge Candeias, 10 February 1999

9 red and yellow horizontal stripes with two vertical tripes at the hoist in opposite colour. I'm not sure about the yellow, since the original image had a black transparent colour, making the flag together with the background. Please correct if wrong. It's a very Bremen-like flag for an Italian company, isn't it?
Jorge Candeias, 4 February 1999

My impression is that it was red and white.
Al Fisher, 4 February 1999

Following Al's information, I turned the yellow into white. Now, this is a Bremen flag I find it weird.
Jorge Candeias, 10 February 1999

The flag can be seen at the company site: www.cosulich.it
Dov Gutterman, 20 January 1999

The corrected colors - red and white, are the right ones.  It is not Bremen colors but Austrian. Cosulich started its life as Austro-American under the Habsburgs and only became Italian by the stroke of a pen in 1919 when Trieste went to Italy after WWI and Austria lost her seacoast.
Charles Dragonette, 10 July 2000

Originated 1857 and in 1903 formed Società Anonima Unione Austriaca di Navigizione ,also known as the Austro-Americana Line, being Austrian at this point. The flag is uncertain being shown by Lloyds 1904 and 1912 with the hoist similar to the flag above except the numbers of bands in the hoist "check" is shown as 12 whilst Reed 1912 only shows 10 and Bonsor in the North Atlantic Seaway makes no mention at all of this design, with the main field consisting of 8 narrower horizontal bands in 2 groups of 4 of red-white in chief and white-red in base with the groups separated by a wider band taking about 1/3 the flag and consisting of diagonal quarters of red-white with the white quarters each bearing a black "A". Again Bonsor varies by having the two groups each of 3 red and 3 white (and does not clarify whether the lower group has red on the base or white) and gives the letters as being red. After WW1 on becoming part of Italy the company became "Cosulich" Societ? Triestina di Navigazione in 1919 with a change in the flag with the hoist "checks" done away with and the central band becoming a diagonal quarter of green-white with the black letters becoming  "C" and "L". In 1/1932 it was merged into Italia Flotte Riunite. In 1946 the current company of Fratelli Cosulich S.p.A. was formed reviving the name and using a variation of the flag format.
Neale Rosanoski, 11 April 2003

Navigare Magazin’, a site dedicated to Hungarian shipping (bilingual Hungarian/English) highlighting the pre-Italian past of Cosulich: “Count Géza Szapáry (1228-1898) was the Governor of Fiume and the Hungarian-Croatian Littoral between 1873 and 1878. The sailing ship of 593 register tons named after the governor had been built for the wealthiest Hungarian shipowner, Casimiro Cosulich, and was launched in 1874 at the yard of V. Brazzoduro in Pecchine, near Fiume (Rijeka). According to Annuario Marittimo [Maritime Yearbook, JM] of 1879, the owners were Casimiro (18/24 share) and Luigi (6/24) Cosulich, and the bark rigged ship was captained by an other son of Casimiro, Béla Cosulich.
The ship can be traced in the American and International shipping registers of 1885 and 1890 with Casimiro as the owner, but according to the shipping register Annuario Marittimo Ungherese [Hungarian Maritime Yearbook, JM] the owners are Maria Mimbelli née Cosulich (Mimbelli was another wealthy ship owner of the time) and the heirs of Casimiro: Teofilio, Luigi, Enrico and Amalia Mohovich, born Cosulich. (…)
The last entry in Annuario Marittimo Ungherese of 1905 reads: Sold to Turkish citizen.
The first picture is a painting of the Conte Géza Szapáry by Bartol Ivankovic dated 1892, showing the ship under full sails in three views, flying the Austro-Hungarian flag and the signal letters 'JDHR' on the mizzen mast, the red-white striped Cosulich banner on the mainmast and the blue flag with the white insurance number '59' on the foremast.”
The house flag is vertically divided and counting at least three red stripes and three white ones.
A further riddle is the company name, as all this precedes 1903 when the firm became known as 'S.A. Unione Austriaca di Navigazione' (a.k.a Austro-Americana Line).
Jan Mertens, 31 March 2008

image by Eugene Ipavec, 21 November 2009

Austro-Americana Line: see the poster at <www.classicpix.com>.
The emblem in the lower left corner glorifies the role of Triest as a port of Austria-Hungary.
Historical information and names of ships on The Ships Lis.
To begin with there is a Schenker connection (in fact this logistics firm still exists) as Gottfried Schenker founded Austro-Americana in 1895. Clickable image of a 1901 poster at <www.schenker.com.sg>. The poster was printed at Vienna, home of Schenker & Co., but really concerns a sea-going route between Trieste and North America. Five ships are mentioned as well as four agencies in Austro-Hungary, and four in the United States.
House flag divided quarterly: red (top, bottom) and white (hoist, fly) and twho serifed initials ‘A’, one on each white triangle. I could be mistaken but these
initials seem blue not black. Trieste being situated in present-day Italy.
Google Books offers a quote from L. Sondhaus: ‘The naval policy of Austro-Hungary 1967-1918’. On pp. 189-190 we learn that A-A was really a joint venture of Austrian and British investors which, in 1903, took over the Cosulich Brothers company (founded in 1857). Profiting from massive emigration to North America, the firm expanded till it operated 35 ships on the eve of WWI and effectively became the Trieste no. 2 company after Osterreichischer Lloyd.
Jan Mertens, 12 October 2009

Austro-Americana (AH) / Fratelli Cosulich

image by Miles Li, 8 May 2023

The house flag of Austro-Americana Line (Unione Austriaca di navigatione Austro Americana e Fratelli Cosulich Societŕ anonima) circa 1903-1919. It combined the previous house flags of Austro-Americana Line and of Fratelli Cosulich. Apparently it had 13 rows of squares to match the 13 stripes of the National Flag of the USA.
Miles Li, 8 May 2023


Crismare

Crismare, the shipping part of the Crismani Group, is established at Trieste, Italy with local offices at Monfalcone and Koper (Slovenia). Website, Italian only: http://www.crismanigroup.it/ita/index.htm

Four tankers, two of them for river use, are operated in the Adriatic region; besides shipping, bunkering and tank cleaning services are offered. Also operated are a tug, a personnel transportation boat, a multipurpose sea-going barge, and pollution fighting vessels. Subsidiary Crismani Ecologia was founded to offer broad ecological waterborne services. (Road construction need not concern us here.)

The house flag, shown as a drawing on the site, is a vertically divided pennant: blue near the hoist bearing a white initial “C” (no serifs; panel apparently taking up one third of the length) and a red fly bearing Trieste’s white spearhead. This Shipspotting page shows the item in the cloth as seen on 29 Jun 2009: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=953184
Jan Mertens, 22 March 2011