The house flag of Denizcilik Bankasi T. A. O., Istanbul. A white rectangular flag with two crossed foul anchors in red, a crescent and star above (the Turkish national emblem). The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn.

Denizcilik Bankasi TAO (the Turkish Maritime Bank) was established in 1938. It was a state-owned bank established primarily to fund the nation’s emerging maritime industry. The bank operated shipping lines such as Denizyollari, the Turkish Maritime Lines. Throughout the twentieth century these lines ran passenger services to destinations in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Egypt, as well as other destinations in Europe. Turkey’s merchant marine industry blossomed from the 1970’s to the 1990’s, and many of these cargo ships were owned by Denizcilik Bankasi. In 1992, the Turkish government made a decision to consolidate many of their state-run banks and Denizcilik Bankasi was merged with a bank called Emlakbank. Subsequent privatizations and mergers followed, and as of 2006 the bank is now owned by the French-Belgian entity Dexia. Some of the shipping and passenger lines that were operated by Denizcilik Bankasi are still operating, including Turkish Maritime Lines which remains the country’s main car and passenger ferry line. (research: Rebecca Hernandez)