Color Line (ferry operator)

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.

This article is about the ferry operator. For the civil rights issue, see Color line (racism).

Color Line AS
PredecessorJahre Line and Norway Line
Founded1990
HeadquartersOslo, Norway
Area served
Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden
Key people
Morten Garman, Chairman
Olav Nils Sunde, President
ServicesPassenger transportation
Freight transportation
ParentColor Group
Websitewww.colorline.no

Color Line's main office is in Oslo, but the company also have 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 expanded its tonnage by lengthening its existing ships or 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, its 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] The keel was laid in April 2018 in Poland and the ship was launched in November 2018.[15]

Ships and routes
ShipBuiltEntered service
for Color Line		RouteTonnage1Notes
Color Viking19852000Sandefjord-Strömstad19,763 GTex-Peder Paars, Stena Invicta
Color Fantasy20042004Oslo—Kiel75,027 GT
Color Magic20072007Oslo—Kiel75,100 GTLargest cruiseferry in the world
Superspeed 120082008Kristiansand—Hirtshals33,500 GT
Superspeed 220082008Larvik—Hirtshals33,500 GT
Color Carrier19982019Oslo-Kiel12,433 GT
Color Hybrid[14]20192019Sandefjord—StrömstadTo replace MS Bohus

Former ships
ShipBuiltYears in serviceTonnage1Status as of 2020
Kronprins Harald19871991–200731,122 GTFrom 2019 GNV Allegra for Grandi Navi Veloci
Prinsesse Ragnhild19801991–200816,631 GRT 35,483 GTFrom 2008 Bahamas Celebration. Sold for scrap, Alang India, 2015.
MS Jupiter19731991–199911,344 GRTSold, later scrapped
Skagen19751991–200512,333 GRTFrom 2005 Sherazad for Arab Bridge Maritime. Scrapped 2011, Alang India
Venus19741991–19948,753 GRTFrom 2002 Cesme for Turkish Marmara Lines
Christian IV19821991–200821,699 GTFrom 2018 Moby Zaza for Moby Lines
Color Viking19751994–199811,344 GRT 20,581 GTSold to Royal Group Ltd, later lost
Color Festival19851994–200834,694 GTFrom 2008 Mega Smeralda for Corsica Ferries
SeaCat Danmark199119963,003 GTSold 2006 as HSC Pescara Jet for SNAV
SeaCat Norge199119963,003 GTSold 2007 as Snaefell for Isle of Man Steam Packet
Octagon 319841996–199710,243 GTFrom 2005 Fast Independence for Independence Shipping
Peter Wessel19811996–200814,919 GRT 29,706 GTFrom 2008 GNV Azzurra for Grandi Navi Veloci
HSC Silvia Ana L19961997–20077,895 GTFrom 2007 sailing for Buquebus
Pegasus Two19971997–19983,971 GTFrom 2007 HSC Queen Nefertiti for Arab Bridge Maritime
Color Trader197719988,454 GRTScrapped 2004
Feederman197219983,166 GRTFrom 2003 Dorrah Jeddah for an unidentified Saudi Arabian company
Sandefjord19651999–20005,678 GRTFrom 2007 Red Star I for Star Ferries
Landi197619999,079 GRTFrom 2007 Ammari for Ustica Lines
European Mariner197820021,598 GRTSold 2003 to P&O Ferries
Gute197920037,616 GRTFrom 2007 laid up in Visby, owned by Rederi AB Gotland
Calibur197620033,642 GRTFrom 2007 sailing for P&O Ferries
Color Traveller19812004–200617,046 GTFrom 2007 Rostock for Scandlines
1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT) if built before 1982.

References
  1. "Color Line's history". Color Line. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  2. Asklander, Micke. "Jahre Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  3. Asklander, Micke. "Norway Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  4. Asklander, Micke. "M/S Olau Britannia (1982)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  5. Boyle, Ian. "Color Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  6. Asklander, Micke. "HSC Hoverspeed Belgium (1991)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  7. Asklander, Micke. "HSC Hoverspeed France (1991)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  8. Boyle, Ian. "Larvik Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  9. Boyle, Ian. "Scandi Line". Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  10. Asklander, Micke. "M/S Wellamo (1975)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  11. Asklander, Micke. "Scandi Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  12. Asklander, Micke. "Color Line". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  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. "VIDEO: Color Line inks LOI for large plug-in hybrid". Marine Log. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  15. https://www.facebook.com/colorline/videos/264270337496497/
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