HAPAG-LLOYD A.G.

The merger combined Hamburg-Amerika’s funnel markings with Norddeutscher Lloyd’s flag. Accounts describe black-white-red funnel tops and buff bases, with Bremen and Europa initially retaining NDL funnels. Loughran assigns Europa and, from 1973, harbour tugs to H189. Flags of the World places H188’s flag emblem towards the hoist. Wolf Spille records continued use of the NDL flag until 1986, when cognac-yellow funnels and a stylised HL flag were introduced.

H9’s flag is confirmed by a Wellington photograph of 6 September 1996. It is white with blue and orange vertical hoist bands; Rosanoski corrects an earlier rendering’s red to orange and raises its emblem from the overly low position caused by a furled reference flag. The funnel was observed on Europa in 1987 and on later vessels. C. Columbus is described as having a blue top; black areas on other modern ventilated tops may not represent a separate livery. The arrowhead design points forward on both sides, as it also does in H189. Cruise vessels generally wore H9 apart from Hanseatic, which changed in 2011.

André Coutanche observed this design on launches taking Europa’s passengers ashore at Kirkwall. He distinguished it from the differing flag then shown on the company website and identified it with the modern flag on another reference site.

The upright orange flag has blue across its upper quarter, with a blue company logo and black Hapag-Lloyd inscription at the bottom. Schneider observed it at Hamburg’s Alster lake on 21 April 2007. Marcus Schmöger questioned whether banner was the correct term, suggesting Knatterflagge or Hochformatflagge.