ANL house flag
Date1950-1990
Object number00049278
NameFlag
MediumPolyester, metal
DimensionsOverall: 770 x 1100 mm, 226 g
ClassificationsVisual communication
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from the Wood family from the Estate of the late Peter Wood Snr
DescriptionA white and Blue ANL house flag from the 1980s.HistoryThe Australian Federal Government established Australian National Line (ANL) in 1956 to cater for the burgeoning demand for shipping space around Australian ports. It was formed as the Australian Coastal Shipping Commission with the passing of the Australian Coastal Shipping Commission Act. ANL commenced operations with around forty ships previously managed by the Australian Shipping Board, which had been formed by the federal government in 1946.
The company entered the ferry business in 1959, when Tasmanian Steamers said they would be pulling out of the run. A new Bass Strait ferry was built at the New South Wales Dockyard at Newcastle. The PRINCESS OF TASMANIA was the first roll on/roll off ferry in the southern hemisphere and the largest.
The new ship and route were such a success for the ANL that they ordered a cargo only ship, the BASS TRADER and then in 1964 a cargo ship the EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, which operated from Sydney to Hobart. the services were successful and the line introduced a Ro/Pax (roll on/roll off and passenger) in 1969.
ANL were involved in the 1975 Tasman Bridge disaster in Hobart, Tasmania, as the owner/operator of the LAKE ILLAWARRA, the bulk carrier which collided with the bridge.
Since the early 1970s ANL moved from primarily coastal shipping to an international shipping container company. In 1974 the Australian Coastal Shipping Commission was replaced by the Australian Shipping Commission.
In 1976 when ANL announced that AUSTRALIAN TRADER would be withdrawn from service, the crew went on strike. The ship remained idle in Bell Bay, Tasmania for two months, but was eventually laid-up and offered for sale.
In 1984 ANL announced that they would not be continuing in the ferry business. The ceasing of the ANL's involvement in the passenger trade allowed them to concentrate solely on bulk freight and cargo.
Despite signficant union protest against the move at the time, the government sold ANL in 1998. The French company CMA CGM bought he naming rights of ANL Limited.
In 2010, CMA CGM operate over 350 vessels (mostly container vessels) on all of the world's major shipping lanes.
SignificanceANL was a widely known Australian Government owned shipping line that operated cargo, ferry and passenger services from the 1950s to the 1990s, until it was privatised. House flags were important symbols of shipping lines and this is an excellent example that records the period of ANL as a nationally owned line.
