Norfolkline

Norfolkline
Private
Industry Transport
Fate Integrated into DFDS Seaways
Founded 1961
Defunct 2010
Headquarters Scheveningen, The Netherlands, Netherlands
Area served
 Irish Sea
English Channel
North Sea
Key people
 Thomas Woldbye MD & CEO
Services Passenger transportation
Freight transportation
Revenue 1 billion + EUR (2007)
Number of employees
 2,200 (2008)
Norfolkline ro-pax ferry M/S Maersk Delft, built 2006.
Norfolkline container being hauled by a sub-contractor's lorry.

Norfolkline was a European ferry operator and logistics company owned by Maersk. It provided freight ferry services on the English channel, Irish Sea, and the North Sea; and passenger ferry services on the English channel and Irish Sea; and logistics services across Europe. Norfolkline employed more than 2,200 employees in 13 countries across Europe, operating out of 35 different locations.

Norfolkline operated 18 vessels and over 550 refrigerated trailers (including 200 with dual compartment units), 1,750 dry-cargo trailers, and 1,150 swap-body trailers for intermodal freight transport. In 2006 more than 1.5 million passengers used Norfolkline's ferry services across the English channel between Dover and Dunkirk and on the Irish Sea (between Liverpool and Belfast & Liverpool and Dublin) and over 1.2 million freight movements were completed.

In July 2010, DFDS acquired Norfolkline; The Norfolkline routes and vessels were integrated into DFDS Seaways.[1]

History

Activities started in 1961 when Dutch entrepreneur Mr. L. Remeeus founded Norfolk Lijn N.V. He operated two coasters on a regular cargo service between Great Yarmouth and Scheveningen. The first appearance of the company in the ferry business was made possible when the roll-on/roll-off vessel Duke of Holland was acquired in 1969. Mr. Remeeus sold Norfolk Lijn N.V. to Unilever in 1973 and the company was renamed Norfolk Line in 1974.

The Company operated out of Great Yarmouth With "Duke of Holland and Duke of Norfolk", operations from Great Yarmouth commenced in 1969 and were finished by 1995, when nearby Felixstowe poached the business with Norfolkline in an aim to enhance the size of its fleet, which at the time Felixstowe could accommodate but Great Yarmouth couldn't.

The Maersk Company Ltd, subsidiary of A.P. Møller acquired Norfolk Line in 1985.

The nineties started with the merger of Norfolk Line with rail transport specialist Skandi in 1995 introducing rail freight services to the company, followed by 4 new vessels that were added to the Norfolk Line fleet (1996) and the opening of a container route between Rotterdam (Holland) to Waterford (Ireland) in 1997. The year after that the company was renamed Norfolkline and the refrigerated transport business was launched in Belfast. A second refrigerated transport location was launched in 1999 in Larkhall.

In the new millennium, the ferry division expanded with the start of a ferry route from Dover (UK) to Dunkirk (France) in 2000. Five years later Norfolkline acquired Norse Merchant Ferries, a roll-on/roll-off ferry operator on Irish Sea routes. In 2006 a new roll-on/roll-off terminal in Vlaardingen was opened, launching a new route between Vlaardingen and Felixstowe/North Killingholme Haven (UK

Norfolkline business

Norfolkline’s business was split in two divisions, a Logistics division and a Ferry division.

Logistics division

The logistics division was focused on tailor made solutions through different industries. Norfolkline operated logistics services providing refrigerated transportation of goods by road, rail, and sea from locations across Europe with routes from/to Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

Ferry division

Norfolkline operated passenger and freight ferry services on the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the North Sea. Norfolkline's North Sea services carried freight only, whereas all other routes carried both lorry freight and private vehicles. Norfolkline also carried foot passengers on some of their North Sea services. Norfolkline’s ferry routes were as follows:

Social and environmental responsibility

Staff of Norfolkline Larkhall raised money for Cash for Kids,[2] a Scottish charity. ]. The company sponsored the Liverpool Irish Festival 2008.[3] Norfolkline Irish Sea has provided financial support for Action Renewables.[4]

Norfolkline reduced their carbon footprint by investing in environmental friendly resources, such as their recent investment of refrigerated trailers which are 92% recyclable.[5]

Awards and recognitions

  • 2008 - “Best Ferry Company” by readers of Guardian.[6]
  • 2007 - “Highly Recommended” in “Best Ferry Company” category of the 2007 Telegraph Travel Awards.[7]
  • 2006 - winner NBCC Trophy (Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce), Anglo-Dutch award for enterprise.[8]
  • 2004 - voted “Best European Crossing Operator” by readers of The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph.[9]
  • 2004 - voted “Leading Cross Channel Operator” by readers of The Guardian and The Observer.[10]

List of Norfolkline vessels

References

  1. ↑ http://www.aferry.co.uk/news/dfds_seaways_acquires_norfolkline-19519871.htm
  2. ↑ "Thanks to YOU Strip for Scotland raised a whopping £82,500!". Cash For Kids 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  3. ↑ "principal sponsor". The Liverpool Irish Festival. Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  4. ↑ "NORFOLKLINE GETS ONBOARD WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY!" (PDF). Action Renewables. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  5. ↑ "92pc recyclable trailers". LogisticsManager.com. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  6. ↑ "Guardian Travel awards 2008". London: Vikiphile. 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  7. ↑ "Norfolkline receives top recognition at the Telegraph Travel Awards 2007". Norfolkline. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  8. ↑ "XXV Presentation". Anglo-Dutch Awards for Enterprise. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  9. ↑ "OUR TRACK RECORD". Pharos. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  10. ↑ "Norfolkline Ferry - Book a Norfolkline Ferry with Any Ferries.co.uk". Any Ferries.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
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