The merger-era accounts also differ. Kludas’s account dates Hapag’s yellow funnels from 1889 on fast steamers, 1900 on cabin passenger ships and 1909 on all ships, then says the merged company used NDL flag and funnel until 1972, introduced a blue logo on orange funnels that year and changed the flag in 1987. Former NDL seaman Wolf Spille instead describes the 1970 compromise as NDL flags with Hapag funnels, with cognac-yellow funnels and a stylised HL flag in 1986.
Keep the explicit scope label independent; no alias or company identity is inferred.