Last modified: 2012-02-25 by ivan sache
Keywords: societe d'operations maritimes et fluviales | somef | letter: s (blue) |
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House flag of SOMEF, two versions - Images by Eugene Ipavec, 6 August 2006
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Founded at Liège in 1920, the company (website) became part of the Usinor steel group in 1998; the Antwerp
branch was transferred to Satem/Ocean Logistics and SOMEF Liège eventually
winded up as part of the Arcelor steel group in 2002.
Now sailing under the name (and flag?) of Arcelor, the former company
offers not only transportation on rivers and canals but also on roads and
railroads plus harbour and warehouse handling.
The French inland shipping company CFNR is 40% owner since
beginning of 2006, alongside Arcelor; this move is called the first
phase of an acquisition process.
This firm tried out push navigation on the Albert
Canal, linking the Meuse/Maas to the Antwerp harbour, already in
1945, thus being a precursor - at least in Western Europe - of the
Rhine trial runs of the late fifties.
A remodelled steam tug was used for the purpose, pushing - instead of
pulling - two pontoons, as shown in Antwerpens maritiem
verleden by Baetens & De Vos (black and white picture). Only the canal flag (white
rectangle on red field) is in evidence, flown on the bow of the left
pontoon.
The house flag of SOMEF is shown in Duwvaart by Jansen & Van Heck. The flag is
swallow-tailed, vertically divided white (square field 2/3 of flag length)
and blue (the remaining 1/3), the indentation taking up not more than 1/4 of
flag length; on the white stripe or square is a blue S inside a
blue circle and blue sans serif letters beneath the circle spelling out
SOMEF. The diameter of the circle is about 1/3 of the flag height.
A photography in the same book shows another and no doubt more recent flag
which was offered on Belgian eBay last year. There is still
the white field - now rectangular - and blue circle with S plus the
company name in blue albeit in upper case now.