Signal flag Tango

Red, white and blue vertical stripes.

Also known as: Tango flag, Code flag Tango

Sometimes confused with: T pennant

Maps & navigationSafety & hazardStandard profile

Meanings

The International Code of Signals flag for the letter Tango, whose single-flag meaning is: Keep clear of me; I am engaged in pair trawling.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Flown alone, signals: Keep clear of me; I am engaged in pair trawling.
Contexts: Public information, Navigation
Historically documentedVerified fact
One of the few single-flag meanings that describes a specific fishing method rather than a general state of the vessel.
Contexts: Public information, Navigation

A rectangular flag of three vertical bands, red at the hoist, white in the centre and blue at the fly.

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references.

IMO Resolution A.1116(30), Escape route signs and equipment location markings
International Maritime Organization · retrieved 2026-08-22
The resolution text is not reproduced here and has NOT BEEN READ in full. Registered so records can state that a life-saving appliance marking is defined by the IMO rather than by convention, and which broad class it belongs to. See docs/paywalled-standards.md.
ITU Radio Regulations and the maritime signalling appendices
International Telecommunication Union · retrieved 2026-08-27
Cited for the identity of maritime and radio signalling conventions defined by the ITU. Not cited for national licensing arrangements.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27

Meanings

The International Code of Signals flag for the letter Tango, whose single-flag meaning is: Keep clear of me; I am engaged in pair trawling.

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Flown alone, signals: Keep clear of me; I am engaged in pair trawling.

Historically documentedVerified fact

One of the few single-flag meanings that describes a specific fishing method rather than a general state of the vessel.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references.

Sources

IMO Resolution A.1116(30), Escape route signs and equipment location markings
International Maritime Organization · retrieved 2026-08-22
The resolution text is not reproduced here and has NOT BEEN READ in full. Registered so records can state that a life-saving appliance marking is defined by the IMO rather than by convention, and which broad class it belongs to. See docs/paywalled-standards.md.
ITU Radio Regulations and the maritime signalling appendices
International Telecommunication Union · retrieved 2026-08-27
Cited for the identity of maritime and radio signalling conventions defined by the ITU. Not cited for national licensing arrangements.

Last reviewed 2026-08-27