Color Line

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This article is about a ferry operator, for the civil rights issue see Color-line.

Color Line AS is the largest cruiseferry liner 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 main office is in Oslo, but the company also have offices in Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Sandefjord and Larvik in addition to international offices in Kiel, Fredrikshavn, Hirtshals and Strömstad.

Contents

[edit] History

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 are 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 and replacing older small ships by acquisition of larger second-hand ships.[5] The company begun 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]

[edit] Ships and routes

Ship Built Entered service
for Color Line		 Route Tonnage1 Notes
MS Bohus 1971 1999 Sandefjord—Strömstad 8772 GRT ex-Prisessan Desireé, Europafärjan, Europafärjan II, Lion Princess
MS Christian IV 1982 1991 Kristiansand—Hirtshals 21699 GT ex-Olau Britannia, Bayard
MS Color Fantasy 2004 2004 Oslo—Kiel 75027 GT
MS Color Magic 2007 2007 Oslo—Kiel 75100 GT Largest cruiseferry in the world
MS Color Viking 1985 2000 Sandefjord—Strömstad 19763 GRT ex-Peder Paars, Stena Invicta
MS Prinsesse Ragnhild 1981 1991 Oslo—Hirtshals 35855 GRT Built for Jahre Line. For sale, will be withdrawn from service 6 May 2008.[13]
MS Superspeed 1 2008 2008 Kristiansand—Hirtshals 33500 GT
1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT).

[edit] Ships under construction

Ship Planned delivery date Shipyard Planned route Projected gross tonnage
MS Superspeed 2 June 2008[14] Aker Finnyards, Rauma Larvik—Hirtshals 33500 GT

According to the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, Color Line and Aker Finnyards are developing a design for a cruise ship based on the Color Fantasy -class, for possible delivery in 2010.[15]

[edit] Former ships

Ship Built Years in service Tonnage1 Status as of 2008
MS Kronprins Harald 1987 1991-2007 31122 GRT Since 2007 MS Oscar Wilde for Irish Ferries
MS Jupiter 1973 1991-1999 11344 GRT Since 2004 laid up in Nassau as MS Mirage I
MS Skagen 1975 1991-2005 12333 GRT Since 2005 MS Sherazad for Arab Bridge Maritime Co.
MS Venus 1974 1991-1994 8753 GRT Since 2002 MS Cesme for Turkish Marmara Lines
MS Color Viking 1975 1994-1998 20581 GRT Since 2007 MS Jupiter for Royal Group Ltd.
MS Color Festival 1985 1994-2008 34694 GRT Since 2008 MS Mega Smeralda for Corsica Ferries
HSC SeaCat Danmark 1991 1996 3003 GT Since 2006 HSC Pescara Jet for SNAV.
HSC SeaCat Norge 1991 1996 3003 GT Since 2006 HSC Sea Express 1 for Isle of Man Steam Packet
MS Octagon 3 1984 1996-1997 10243 GRT Since 2005 MS Fast Independence for Independence Shipping Co. Ltd.
MS Peter Wessel 1981 1996-2008 29706 GRT Since 2008 MS SNAV Toscana for SNAV
HSC Silvia Ana L 1996 1997-2007 7895 GRT Since 2007 sailing for Buquebus
HSC Pegasus Two 1997 1997-1998 3971 GT Since 2007 HSC Queen Nefertiti for Arab Bridge Maritime Co.
MS Color Trader 1977 1998 8454 GRT Scrapped 2004
MS Feederman 1972 1998 3166 GRT Since 2003 MS Dorrah Jeddah, owned by an unknown Saudiarabian company
MS Sandefjord 1965 1999-2000 5678 GRT Since 2007 MS Red Star I for Star Ferries
MS Landi 1976 1999 9079 GRT Since 2007 MS Ammari for Ustica Lines
MS European Mariner 1978 2002 1598 GRT Since 2003 sails for P&O Ferries
MS Gute 1979 2003 7616 GRT Since 2007 laid up in Visby, owned by Rederi AB Gotland
MS Calibur 1976 2003 3642 GRT Since 2007 sails for P&O Ferries
MS Color Traveller 1981 2004-2006 17046 GRT Since 2007 MS Rostock for Scandlines
1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT).

[edit] 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
  • Knut Hals, Route Director Oslo-Hirtshals and Oslo-Kiel
  • Terje Marcussen, Route Director Kristiandsand-Hirtshals
  • Laila Valdal, Route Director Larvik-Fredrikshavn and Sandefjord-Strömstad

[edit] Gallery

MS Peter Wessel in the Larviksfjord

MS Peter Wessel in Larvik

MS Color Fantasy in Kiel from the air

MS Color Fantasy in the Oslofjord

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Color Line’s history. Color Line. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  2. ^ Asklander, Micke. Jahre Line (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  3. ^ Asklander, Micke. Norway Line (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  4. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S Olau Britannia (1982) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  5. ^ a b Boyle, Ian. Color Line. Simplon Postcards. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  6. ^ Asklander, Micke. HSC Hoverspeed Belgium (1991) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  7. ^ Asklander, Micke. HSC Hoverspeed France (1991) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  8. ^ Boyle, Ian. Larvik Line. Simplon Postcards. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  9. ^ a b Boyle, Ian. Scandi Line. Simplon Postcards. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  10. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S Wellamo (1975) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  11. ^ Asklander, Micke. Scandi Line (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  12. ^ Asklander, Micke. Color Line (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  13. ^ a b Color Line to focus on its engagement in cruise and transport. Color Line press release. Color Line. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  14. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S Superspeed II (2008) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
  15. ^ Turun Sanomat article, 9. 8. 2006, retrieved 17. 8. 2007

[edit] External links

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