MSG (Shipping Company, Germany)

Mainschifffahrts-Genossenschaft

image sent by Jan Mertens, 15 Apr 2006

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Mainschiffahrts-Genossenschaft

MSG or Mainschiffahrts-Genossenschaft (Main Shipping Cooperative) at Würzburg on the River Main, Germany, is an important body operating owned inland navigation vessels and representing private shippers, totalling about 80 barges or130 000 metric tonnes. It was founded in 1916. More information on the website.
As explained there, the cooperative is active in dry bulk transportation on rivers and canals in the West of Germany and neighbouring countries but especially on the Rivers Main and Danube, and of course on the important canal linking these two. There are warehouses and a lorry fleet, a motor and ship repair yard, and moreover MSG also sells the necessary mineral oils using specialized craft.
To get an idea of the various barges and shipments, simply look at the photos on this page.

The house flag can be seen on the above webpage (first link; meant, of course, is the big one) and is horizontally divided into six white and sky blue stripes, white on top, the black �MSG� initials logo interrupting the second blue stripe. Examples of photos showing the flag: here and here, on the second page: first, second, and fifth photos of �El Ni�o II�.
I do not know when this flag was introduced; the Binnenvaart site shows another one the style of which is certainly older. The stripes were already there but the initials � in a different font, and upright instead of italic - filled a white lozenge in the centre of the flag, slightly extending into the upmost and lowermost stripes.

On one of the many photos on this site, another - and very clear - image of the house flag (at left, behind the improvised altar):
Jan Mertens, 15 Apr 2006

MSG current flag

[Mainschiffahrts-Genossenschaft current flag]

image sent by Jan Mertens, 15 Apr 2006