Color Line (ferry operator)

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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 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[edit]

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 between Bergen and Newcastle 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]

In November 2022, Color Line announced that Color Carrier and Color Viking will end operations.[16][17]

Ships and routes[edit]

Ship Built Entered
service		 Route Tonnage1 Flag Notes
MS Color Fantasy 2004 2004 Oslo–Kiel 75,027 GT  Norway
MS Color Magic 2007 2007 Oslo–Kiel 75,100 GT  Norway Largest cruiseferry in the world.
MS Superspeed 1 2008 2008 Kristiansand–Hirtshals 33,500 GT  Norway
MS Superspeed 2 2008 2008 Larvik–Hirtshals 33,500 GT  Norway
MS Color Hybrid[14] 2019 2019 Sandefjord–Strömstad 27,000 GT  Norway

Former ships[edit]

Ship Built Years in service Tonnage1 Status as of 2020
MS Color Viking 1985 2000–2022 19,763 GT Sold to Seajets in 2022 and renamed SuperStar II in 2023.
MS Kronprins Harald 1987 1991–2007 31,122 GT From 2019 GNV Allegra for Grandi Navi Veloci.
MS Prinsesse Ragnhild 1980 1991–2008 16,631 GRT 35,483 GT From 2008 Bahamas Celebration. Sold for scrap, Alang India, 2015.
MS Jupiter 1973 1991–1999 11,344 GRT Scrapped as Crown in 2008.
MS Skagen 1975 1991–2005 12,333 GRT Scrapped 2011, Alang India.
Venus 1974 1991–1994 8,753 GRT From 2002 Cesme for Turkish Marmara Lines.
MS Christian IV 1982 1991–2008 21,699 GT From 2018 Moby Zaza for Moby Lines.
MS Color Viking 1975 1994–1998 11,344 GRT 20,581 GT Sold to Royal Group Ltd, later lost.
MS Color Festival 1985 1994–2008 34,694 GT From 2008 Mega Smeralda for Corsica Ferries.
HSC SeaCat Danmark 1991 1996 3,003 GT Sold 2006 as HSC Pescara Jet for SNAV.
HSC SeaCat Norge 1991 1996 3,003 GT Sold 2007 as Snaefell for Isle of Man Steam Packet.
Octagon 3 1984 1996–1997 10,243 GT From 2005 Fast Independence for Independence Shipping.
MS Peter Wessel 1981 1996–2008 14,919 GRT 29,706 GT From 2008 GNV Azzurra for Grandi Navi Veloci.
HSC Silvia Ana L 1996 1997–2007 7,895 GT From 2007 sailing for Buquebus.
Pegasus Two 1997 1997–1998 3,971 GT From 2007 HSC Queen Nefertiti for Arab Bridge Maritime.
Color Trader 1977 1998 8,454 GRT Scrapped 2004.
Feederman 1972 1998 3,166 GRT From 2003 Dorrah Jeddah for an unidentified Saudi Arabian company.
Sandefjord 1965 1999–2000 5,678 GRT Scrapped as Star N in 2023.
MS Bohus 1971 1999–2019 9,149 GT Sold in 2019 and operating as Ionian Star.
Landi 1976 1999 9,079 GRT From 2007 Ammari for Ustica Lines.
MS European Mariner 1978 2002 1,598 GRT Sold 2003 to P&O Ferries.
Gute 1979 2003 7,616 GRT From 2007 laid up in Visby, owned by Rederi AB Gotland.
Calibur 1976 2003 3,642 GRT From 2007 sailing for P&O Ferries.
Color Traveller 1981 2004–2006 17,046 GT From 2007 Rostock for Scandlines.
1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT) if built before 1982.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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 22 April 2008.
  14. ^ a b "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/ [user-generated source]
  16. ^ https://www.colorline.no/om-oss/pressesenter/color-line-effektiviserer-deler-av-den-operative-driften
  17. ^ https://anbord.de/color-line-mustert-faehren-aus/

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Color Line.
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