Color Line (ferry operator)

Color Line AS
Predecessor Jahre Line and Norway Line
Founded 1990
Headquarters Oslo, Norway
Area served
 Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden
Key people
 Morten Garman, Chairman
Olav Nils Sunde, President
Services Passenger transportation
Freight transportation
Parent Color Group
Website www.colorline.no

Color Line AS is the largest cruiseferry line operating on routes to and from Norway. The company is also one of the leading operators in Europe. Color Line provides transportation for people and cargo, hotel accommodation, shopping, restaurants and entertainment. The company currently employs 3500 people in four countries.

Color Line's main office is in Oslo, but the company also has Norwegian offices in Kristiansand, Sandefjord and Larvik, in addition to international offices in Kiel, Hirtshals and Strömstad.

History

MS Color Fantasy
MS Color Magic, the largest cruiseferry with cardeck in the world
MS Superspeed 1 on the route Kristiansand - Hirtshals
Color Line terminal in Hirtshals

Color Line has roots in the ferry business that go back more than 100 years. The company was established in 1990 when two Norwegian shipping companies, Jahre Line and Norway Line merged.[1] Jahre Line had operated ferries between Oslo and Kiel since 1961,[2] while Norway Line had operated ferries from Norway to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands since 1986.[3] During 1990 Color Line also took over the Fred. Olsen Lines cruiseferry operations,[1] thereby expanding the traffic area of the new company to Norway—Denmark routes.[4]

During the first half of the 1990s Color Line enlargened their tonnage by lengthening their existing ships by acquisition of larger second-hand ships.[5] The company began operating fast ferries between Norway and Denmark during the summer of 1996. Initially the operations were in collaboration with SeaContainers, but were run without them from 1997 onwards.[5][6][7] In October of the same year Color Line took over the operations of Larvik Line, their competitor in the Norway—Denmark traffic.[1][8] In September 1998 Color Line acquired both the Color Hotel Skagen and Scandi Line, which operated two ferries on the short routes connecting Norway and Sweden.[1][9] In the end of 1998 the Norway—United Kingdom operations were sold to Fjord Line.[10] For the 1999 summer season the (former) Scandi Line ships received new Color Scandi Line liveries. They were fully incorporated into the Color Line fleet in 2001.[9][11]

During the 2000s Color Line begun investing heavily in new tonnage, with MS Color Fantasy, MS Color Magic, MS Superspeed 1 and MS Superspeed 2 supplanting much of the older tonnage between 2004 and 2008.[12] In April 2008 the company announced the closure of the Oslo—Hirtshals service from 6 May 2008 onwards.[13]

In January 2017, Color Line announced that it had signed a letter of intent with the Ulstein Verft shipyard to build a new ferry with a hybrid drivetrain for the Sandefjord-Strömstad route, with delivery expected in 2019.[14]

Ships and routes

ShipBuiltEntered service
for Color Line		RouteTonnage1Notes
MS Bohus19711999Sandefjord—Strömstad8,772 GRTex-Prisessan Desireé, Europafärjan, Europafärjan II, Lion Princess, To be phased out in 2019
MS Color Fantasy20042004Oslo—Kiel75,027 GT
MS Color Magic20072007Oslo—Kiel75,100 GTLargest cruiseferry in the world
MS Color Viking19852000Sandefjord—Strömstad19,763 GRTex-Peder Paars, Stena Invicta
MS Superspeed 120082008Kristiansand—Hirtshals33,500 GT
MS Superspeed 220082008Larvik—Hirtshals33,500 GT
MS Color Hybrid[14]Under construction2019 (expected)Sandefjord—StrömstadTo replace MS Bohus
1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT).

Former ships

ShipBuiltYears in serviceTonnage1Status as of 2009
MS Kronprins Harald19871991–200731,122 GRTSince 2007 MS Oscar Wilde for Irish Ferries
MS Prinsesse Ragnhild19801991–200835,855 GRTSince 2008 MS Bahamas Celebration. In 2015 sold for scrap, Alang India.
MS Jupiter19731991–199911,344 GRTrecently sold for scrap
MS Skagen19751991–200512,333 GRTSince 2005 MS Sherazad for Arab Bridge Maritime Co. In 2011 sold for scrap, Alang India.
MS Venus19741991–19948,753 GRTSince 2002 MS Cesme for Turkish Marmara Lines
MS Christian IV19821991–200821,699 GTSince 2009 MS Julia for Fastnet Line.
MS Color Viking19751994–199820,581 GRTSince 2007 MS Jupiter for Royal Group Ltd.
MS Color Festival19851994–200834,694 GRTSince 2008 MS Mega Smeralda for Corsica Ferries
HSC SeaCat Danmark199119963,003 GTSince 2006 HSC Pescara Jet for SNAV.
HSC SeaCat Norge199119963,003 GTSince 2007 HSC Snaefell for Isle of Man Steam Packet
MS Octagon 319841996–199710,243 GRTSince 2005 MS Fast Independence for Independence Shipping Co. Ltd.
MS Peter Wessel19811996–200829,706 GRTSince 2008 MS SNAV Toscana for SNAV
HSC Silvia Ana L19961997–20077,895 GRTSince 2007 sailing for Buquebus
HSC Pegasus Two19971997–19983,971 GTSince 2007 HSC Queen Nefertiti for Arab Bridge Maritime Co.
MS Color Trader197719988,454 GRTScrapped 2004
MS Feederman197219983,166 GRTSince 2003 MS Dorrah Jeddah, owned by an unknown Saudi Arabian company
MS Sandefjord19651999–20005,678 GRTSince 2007 MS Red Star I for Star Ferries
MS Landi197619999,079 GRTSince 2007 MS Ammari for Ustica Lines
MS European Mariner197820021,598 GRTSince 2003 sailing for P&O Ferries
MS Gute197920037,616 GRTSince 2007 laid up in Visby, owned by Rederi AB Gotland
MS Calibur197620033,642 GRTSince 2007 sails for P&O Ferries
MS Color Traveller19812004–200617,046 GRTSince 2007 MS Rostock for Scandlines
1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT).

Key people

  • Trond Kleivdal, Managing Director
  • Elisabeth Anspach, Marketing Director
  • Helge Otto Mathisen, Information Director
  • Svein Sørensen, Technical Director
  • Jan Kverneland, E-business Director
  • Rolf Kjær, Project Director
  • Frode Hansen, Route Director Norway-Germany
  • Odd Grønnberg, Route Director Norway-Denmark
  • Laila Valdal, Route Director Norway-Sweden

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Color Line's history". Color Line. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  2. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "Jahre Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  3. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "Norway Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  4. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "M/S Olau Britannia (1982)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  5. 1 2 Boyle, Ian. "Color Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  6. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "HSC Hoverspeed Belgium (1991)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  7. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "HSC Hoverspeed France (1991)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  8. ↑ Boyle, Ian. "Larvik Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  9. 1 2 Boyle, Ian. "Scandi Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  10. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "M/S Wellamo (1975)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  11. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "Scandi Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  12. ↑ Asklander, Micke. "Color Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  13. ↑ "Color Line to focus on its engagement in cruise and transport". Color Line press release. Color Line. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  14. 1 2 "VIDEO: Color Line inks LOI for large plug-in hybrid". Marine Log. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
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