FAR EASTERN SHIPPING CO.

Soviet flag and funnel colours continued after the fall of communism; the company website shows Admiral Makarov with the U61 Soviet funnel.

Mitchell derives F289 from Ships Monthly, February 1994. F290 appears to have a four-pointed white star carrying a darker-blue ship’s wheel: the number of inner spokes is unclear and only four outer spokes are visible. The three Mitchell funnels appear to accompany the Russian tricolour.

The flag derives from a company website logo and table flag, with actual examples visible in a May Day parade photograph. F292’s black top varies in depth in photographs of Kapitan Khlebnikov in January 2002 and Sinegorsk in June 2006. Kapitan Khlebnikov in January 2007 shows F293, also seen on Magadan, indicating that these icebreakers differ from the rest of the fleet.

Fesco Diomed’s port side on 6 August 2009 shows a darker-blue funnel band, perhaps normal for funnels rather than flag bands, and emphasises the curved top of the f’s upright.