Home > Past and Present > Ferries > Color Line

Color Line

Color Line AS is a ferry company operating on routes to and from Norway. The company provides transportation for passengers and freight as well as providing hotel accommodation, shopping, restaurants and entertainment.

The company was established in 1990 when two Norwegian shipping companies, Jahre Line and Norway Line merged. Jahre Line had operated ferries between Oslo and Kiel since 1961, while Norway Line had operated ferries from Norway to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands since 1986.

During 1990 the company took over the ferry operations of Fred. Olsen Lines, thereby expanding the traffic area of the new company on the Norway—Denmark routes.

In the Summer of 1996 the company began operating fast ferries between Norway and Denmark. Initially the operations were in collaboration with Sea Containers and were marketed as colorseacat but from 1997 onwards Color Line became the sole operator.

In October 1997 Color Line took over the operations of their competitor Larvik Line. In September 1998 Color Line acquired Scandi Line, which operated two ferries on the short routes connecting Norway and Sweden. At the end of 1998 Fjord Line purchased the Bergen – Newcastle route from Color Line.

Color Line Archive

MV Calibur – Past and Present

Last Updated: 02/06/2020by Nigel ThorntonColor Line, Cotunav, DFDS, Exxtor Ferries, Ferries, Ferryways, North Sea Ferries, Past and Present, Requests, Stena Line, Stena Line AB, Tor Line

MV Amadeo I Ex Calibur, Excalibur, Stena Mariner, Senator, Salah L, Stena Mariner, Mariner, Dana, Seaspeed Dana Calibur – © Simonwp (Kiel, […]

MV European Mariner – Past and Present

Last Updated: 08/05/2020by Nigel ThorntonColor Line, Commodore Shipping, Ferries, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IoMSPCo), Merchant Ferries, P&O European Ferries, P&O Ferries, P&O Irish Sea, Pandoro, Past and Present, Seatruck Ferries

MV European Mariner, ex European Highlander, Lion, Merchant Valiant, Salahala – Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1978 by Rickmers Werft, GmbH, Bremerhaven, Germany. (Yard No. 390) as a RoRo Cargo ship

MV Viking III – Past and Present

Last Updated: 29/10/2018by Nigel ThorntonColor Line, Ferries, Past and Present, Sealink, The British and Irish Steam Packet Company (B&I Line), Thoresen Car Ferries, Townsend Car Ferries, Townsend Thoresen

MV Red Star I, ex Gabriel Scott, Sagafjord, Sandefjord, Fenno Star, Scandinavia, Terje Vigen, Viking III – Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1965 by Orenstein-Koppel and Lubecker Mach A/G, Lubeck, Germany, (Yard No 618) for Otto Thoresen Shipping Co. A/S, Oslo, Norway, as a passenger and vehicle ferry.

MV Olau Britannia (I) – Past and Present

Last Updated: 12/03/2018by Ray GoodfellowColor Line, Ferries, Fred Olsen Lines, Moby Lines, Olau Line, Past and Present

MV Moby Zaza, ex Wind Perfection, Julia, Christian IV, Bayard, Olau Britannia (I) – Twin screw motor vessel built in 1981 by AG Weser Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven, Germany (Yard no 1031) as a passenger and motor vehicle ferry for Olau Line Ltd Co, Hamburg

HSC Hoverspeed France (Incat 026) – Past and Present

Last Updated: 27/12/2019by Nigel ThorntonAtlânticoline, Color Line, Condor Ferries, Ferries, Hoverspeed, International Catamarans (Incat), Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IoMSPCo), Past and Present, Sea Containers Ltd (SeaCo), Seajets

HSC Master Jet, ex Snaefell, Sea Express I, Seacat Isle of Man, Color Seacat Norge, Seacat Isle of Man, Seacat Boulogne, Sardegna Express, Hoverspeed France – Aluminium catamaran built in 1991 by Incat (International Catamarans) Australia Pty. Ltd., Hobart, Australia (Yard No. 026) for Hoverspeed Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas as a car and passenger ferry.

MV Scandinavica – Past and Present

Last Updated: 11/09/2019by Nigel ThorntonColor Line, DFDS, Past and Present, Sealink, Stena Line

MV Wind Ambition, ex Cesme, King of Scandinavia, Venus, Tarek L, Scandinavica, Stena Scandinavica, Prinsessan Birgitta – Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1974 by Oy Wartsila Ab, Abo, Finland (Yard No. 1214) as a passenger and vehicle roll-on roll-off ferry

MV Stena Invicta – Past and Present

Last Updated: 29/07/2019by Ray GoodfellowColor Line, DSB (Danske Statsbaner), Ferries, P&O Stena Line, Past and Present, Sealink, Stena Line

MV Color Viking, ex Stena Invicta, Peder Paars – Steel motor vessel, built by Nakskov Skibsværft A/S, Denmark (233) for DSB (Danish State Railways) in 1985 (Yard No 233) as a passenger and roll-on roll-off car and commercial vehicle ferry

MV Sally Star – Past and Present

Last Updated: 02/01/2020by Nigel ThorntonColor Line, Ferries, Fred Olsen Express, Past and Present, Rederi AB Gotland (Destination Gotland), Sally Line

MV Wasa Express, ex Betancuria, Thjelvar, Rostock, Thjelvar, Color Traveller, Thjelvar, Sally Star, Travemünde Link, Travemunde – Steel twin screw motor vessel built by OY Wartsila Ab Helsingfors, Finland (Yard No. 432) for Gedser-Travemunde Ruten A/S, Gedser, Denmark, as a passenger, car and commercial vehicle ferry in 1981

HSC Hoverspeed Boulogne (Incat 027) – Past and Present

Last Updated: 12/05/2020by Ray GoodfellowColor Line, Ferries, Hoverspeed, International Catamarans (Incat), Past and Present, Sea Containers Ltd (SeaCo), SNAV (Società Navigazione Alta Velocità)

HSC Atlantic Express, ex Golden Blaze, Pescara Jet, Zara Jet, Pescara Jet, Seacat Danmark, Seacatamaran Danmark, Hoverspeed Boulogne, Hoverspeed Belgium – Aluminium catamaran built in 1991 by Incat (International Catamarans) Australia Pty. Ltd., Hobart, Australia (Yard No. 027) for Hoverspeed Ltd, (Sea Containers Ltd)