Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes

11.11.
2018 Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes
HOME NEWS MARINE ENGINEERING NAVIGATION FREE EBOOKS PAID EBOOKS
SHIPBOARD GUIDELINES MORE Search In Marine Insight
[JUST LAUNCHED-2nd Edition] The Ultimate Guide to Deck Machinery Procedures and Operations [50%
OFF] DOWNLOAD NOW
Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes

By Shilavadra Bhattacharjee | In: Guidelines | Last Updated on June 2, 2017
 Share  Share
8.1k  Tweet  Pin
103  Share
From the time that ships started sailing, flags were in place as a mode of communication or expression of
intent. Traditionally speaking, flags have always formed an integral part of shipping but the necessity and
extent of usage have obviously reduced over time owing to advancements in technology.
However, much like other so-called ‘arts’ pertaining to the shipping industry, flag etiquette have stood the
test of time and if not extensively, flags are still displayed when absolutely important (e.g, entering a port).
The order of importance, points and honour of the flags have long been established and are a tradition
albeit with new designs and meaning in some cases.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you
are happy with it. OK
https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/nautical-flag-etiquettes/ 1/12
11.11.2018 Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes
Definitions
Flag related terms are of the old school and may cause some difficulty for candidates appearing for
competitive examination! While the INTERCO meaning of single letter flags is easily grasped, the
terminology is something that requires basic understanding.
1. Canton: This refers to any quadrant of a flag but mostly, the upper left quarter (one that is hoisted)
2. Hoist: The edge of the flag nearest to the flagpole
3. Fly: The edge farthest away from the flagpole
4. Courtesy Flag: The national flag or the civil ensign of the country you are visiting
5. Dimension: Varies, but usually the fly is twice as long as the hoist
We6. National
use cookies toEnsign: The
ensure that flag you
we give of the country
the best your ship
experience on ouriswebsite.
registered
If you to
continue to use this site we will assume that you
7. House Flag: Usually, the company flagare happy with it. OK
8. Tack Line: Length of halyard about 2 metres used to separate group of flags
9. Halyard: Ropes used for hoisting flags
10. Pigeon Hole: Flag locker hole
11. Close Up: Flags fully hoisted
12. Dip: Not to be confused with the dip of a sextant! Dip means that an upright flag is lowered to 45
degrees or horizontal. This is done as a sign of respect
Worn and Flown

There is some confusion with regard to this (much like underway and making way!)- vessels wear flags;
people fly flags on their vessels. Each flag has a specific meaning along with the appropriate location for
it to be worn and the time that it can be flown. Next up will be the order of the points of honour signifying
the order of preference, i.e., the highest in the points of honour will fly the most important flag (which is
basically your own ensign)
How to Read Flags

1. Mast – Top to Bottom
2. Triatic Stay – Forward to Aft (stay connecting mastheads is termed Triatic Stay)
3. Starboard Yardarm – Outer to inner
4. Port Yardarm – Outer to inner
Order (Points Of Honour)

In order of preference:
1. Gaff
2. Flagstaff at the stern
3. Bow staff
4. Starboard Yardarm
5. Masthead
6. Port Yardarm
Fly the flag at the highest point of honour to which that particular flag is entitled. The highest place is
always given to your own national ensign. All other flags must be placed below.
The National Ensign

The gaff holds the highest importance. Second to that is the stern flagstaff (more common for the ensign
in modern merchant vessels). So there might be a confusion with regard to ‘height’ being a factor seeing
as the stern staff is much lower; although another flag might appear higher, no flag is ever flown above
the national ensign on the same halyard. Gaff is used for holding the ensign flag when the ship is
underway. Ensign on the gaff and Jack on the jack staff do not go together
Jack is to be hoisted only when the ship is at anchor or made fast to the shore or to a buoy. The jack is
lowered immediately when the ship is underway, when the anchor is aweigh or the last line is cast off
Red Ensign Worn by a merchant vessel
White Ensign Worn by warships/naval establishments
Blue Ensign Worn by ships belonging to public offices
Instances when Ensign is flown

1. When the ship is dressed
2. In foreign waters during daylight hours
3. When going alongside foreign port, man of war, day or night
The Courtesy Flag

It is a custom among merchant ships when entering or leaving a foreign port and during their stay in the
port to fly the colours of that country. as a mark of respect; the exact details of flying such a flag with
regard to timings can be obtained from the port control. The dimensions of the national ensign must
always be larger than the courtesy. Also, never fly one country’s flag beneath another’s on the same
mast. This is a sign of conquest and projects disrespect, ignorance and bad seamanship. Also, do not
hoist the courtesy flag upside down. As mentioned, follow the port country’s rules with respect to the
courtesy; some countries might have a rule wherein to fly the courtesy only after the Q (quarantine) flag
has been secured. The courtesy flag comes second in order of preference after the national ensign.
The Q Flag
As per INTERCO, the Q flag denotes “My vessel is healthy. I require free pratique”. It is a flag that is
hoisted inevitably by all vessels prior to entering the port to denote that the vessel is healthy and disease
free and requests clearance. Preferably, fly it on the starboard yardarm and take it down after the vessel
has been cleared by the health authorities of that country.
The national ensign or the courtesy should not be flown from sunset to 0800 hours unless specifically
mentioned to do so (Mexico requires their flag to be flown after sunset as well). At 0800 when raising the
flags, the national ensign should be raised first followed by the courtesy and the rest. The reverse order is
applicable during lowering.
Blue Peter
Commonly flown by merchant ships to denote that the ship is about to sail and that all crew who may be
out of the ship to return back to the ship immediately.
Half Mast
The concept of half mast is to denote respect. Flags are flown at half mast when saluting another vessel
(naval vessels of war). The Naval ship reciprocates by lowering and raising their national ensign after
which the own ensign is returned to full hoist.
Also, the Ensign is worn at half mast to indicate death. Usually on the day of the funeral only and from the
time the body of the deceased leaves the ship or place where it has been lying until the time when it is
buried
Dressing The Ship

On special occasions such as Republic Day, Independence Day and the likes, ships or other vessels may
dress their ships in full regal splendour. This includes displaying a set of 40 flags representing numbers,
letters and other signals. A vessel is dressed only while not underway. This might also be done for a
special time such as her maiden or final voyage.
INTERCO are happy with it. OK
INTERCO refers to the International Code of Signals. It is an international system of signals and codes
for use by vessels to communicate important messages regarding safety of navigation and related
matters. Signals can be sent by flag hoist, ALDIS lamp, semaphore, radiotelegraphy, and radiotelephony.
To make sense of the above, it is important to know the INTERCO (at least the single letters) for the
purpose of the oral examinations as well as a matter of interest as a sailor. It contains 14 chapters,
complement tables for the general section, complement tables for the medical section appendices. This
code provides a means of communication seeing as there might be language difficulties among stations
which affect the safety of the ship and the personnel. INTERCO contains single letter signals (A to Z)
which are urgent, important and of very common use; two letter signals (AA to ZZ) for vocabulary; three
letter signals (MAA-MVU) containing medical signals.
The single letter signals are used regularly and meanings of all must be known. They’re used in
COLREGS (flags for vessels engaged in fishing have a separate Annex attached to it namely flags Z, G,
P, T) as well as for emergency situations where communication might be urgent such as man overboard
(O), when dragging anchor or when another vessel is dragging anchor onto the own ship etc. Two letter
signals also have immense importance as with the NC flag (Distress flag as per Annex 4 of COLREGS)
and YG (for TSS).
Code and Answering Pendant

3 red and 2 white stripe vertically placed at hoist and at fly. Various uses of answering pendants by
hoisting are:
1. At Dip- Signal is seen

2. Close Up: Signal is understood
3. Haul down/return to dip after close up- signal is received
Substitutes
1st Substitute- yellow triangle with blue border
2nd Substitute- Blue and white. Blue at hoist, white at fly
3rd Substitute- White with black horizontal stripe
Examination Service
In certain circumstances, it is necessary to take special measures to examine ship’s desire to enter a port
and to control the entry. Generally, it is enforced when the security of the port is threatened or expected to
be threatened. Examination vessel flag is a blue rectangular flag with two rectangles in the centre.
Vessels authorised to display the examination flags are examination vessel, traffic control vessel and pilot
launch when assigned to examination duty are happy with it. OK
Flags when entering a port

This has become a common question across Indian MMDs for the Second Mate oral examinations and
therefore included in the article.
1. Flag G or H (depending on whether pilot is yet to board or already boarded)- Port Yardarm
2. The National Ensign (stern post)
3. The Courtesy Flag (Starboard Yardarm)
4. Flag B (if carrying IMDG cargo)- Port Yardarm
5. House Flag- Port Yardarm
These are age old techniques and are here to stay. There is far too much information with respect to flags
which cannot be covered under one article and it is advised to go through the INTERCO publication for a
better understanding.
With the reasons for hoisting a certain flag at a certain point on the ship made easier and
comprehensible, the next time a flag is hoisted should seem more interesting.
Disclaimer: The authors’ views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Marine
Insight. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not
been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be
accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not
constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader.
The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the
permission of the author and Marine Insight.
Report an Error
 Share  Share
8.1k  Tweet  Pin
103  Share
Want to share your tips and advice? Got questions? Visit the community forum to ask questions,
get answers, meet people, and share your tips!
About Shilavadra Bhattacharjee
Shilavadra Bhattacharjee works as deck officer on board merchant vessels. He is a

prolific reader and also likes to record his arbitrary thoughts on paper. He believes in
sharing knowledge and conveying thoughts in every form possible- be it through
words, music or anything else.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Search In Marine Insight
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment are happy with it. OK
Name *
Email *
Website
POST COMMENT
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
JOIN OVER 1 MILLION+ READERS
     
Submit your best email & we

will send you 12 maritime
ebooks FREE Today
Enter Your Email
YES,
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue SEND
to use thisME
site EBOOKS
we will assume that you
 Privacy guaranteed! We hate spam too.
POPULAR NOW
Real Life Incident: No Charts, No Plan, No BRM,

Little Rest = Grounded
Industrial IoT, Key Force In Reducing Environmental

Impact Of Global Supply Chain – Inmarsat
Previously Convicted German Shipping Operator

Sentenced To Pay $3.2 Million For Environmental
Crimes
India: Government Takes Initiatives To Increase

Share Of Indian Seafarers At Global Level
North P&I Club Partners With ISWAN To Launch New

Confidential Helpline For Crew
Privacy Policy | Refund Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | About Us | Team | Advertise | Send Us News
Copyright © 2010 - 2018 Marine Insight — All Rights Reserved |

Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

11.11.

2018 Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes

HOME NEWS MARINE ENGINEERING NAVIGATION FREE EBOOKS PAID EBOOKS

SHIPBOARD GUIDELINES MORE Search In Marine Insight

Understanding Nautical Flag Etiquettes

Worn and Flown

How to Read Flags

Order (Points Of Honour)

The National Ensign

Red Ensign Worn by a merchant vessel

White Ensign Worn by warships/naval establishments

Blue Ensign Worn by ships belonging to public offices

Instances when Ensign is flown

The Courtesy Flag

Dressing The Ship

Code and Answering Pendant

1. At Dip- Signal is seen

2nd Substitute- Blue and white. Blue at hoist, white at fly

3rd Substitute- White with black horizontal stripe

Flags when entering a port

Shilavadra Bhattacharjee works as deck officer on board merchant vessels. He is a

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Search In Marine Insight

JOIN OVER 1 MILLION+ READERS

Submit your best email & we

 Privacy guaranteed! We hate spam too.

Real Life Incident: No Charts, No Plan, No BRM,

Industrial IoT, Key Force In Reducing Environmental

Previously Convicted German Shipping Operator

India: Government Takes Initiatives To Increase

North P&I Club Partners With ISWAN To Launch New

Copyright © 2010 - 2018 Marine Insight — All Rights Reserved |

S-ar putea să vă placă și