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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.
 | |
| 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'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.
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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]
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| 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
| 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. | ||||
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