The name “ZIM” was suggested by Israel’s first Minister of Transportation, David Remez, based on a passage in the Old Testament (Numbers 24:24) in which the Hebrew word “Zim” is used to refer to “large vessels.” The name was chosen as appropriate for the company’s main goal: to build a large merchant fleet.
Note: some believe that ZIM is an acrostic for the Hebrew words for Israel Merchant Navy, but this definition was never officially sanctioned.

ZIM’s flag is based on the pennant originally designed by Theodor Herzl in 1896 as the future national emblem of the State of Israel. Herzl’s banner was designed with seven golden stars in the midst of a white field. The two blue horizontal stripes that make up Israel’s current flag were added at a later date. The colors used to paint all of ZIM’s ship funnels are intended to reproduce those of ZIM’s flag.