Fjord Line is a Norwegian ferry operator offering services between Norway and Denmark; in October 2020 the company announced a scale-back of operations whereby the ferry operations will only serve the ports of Kristiansand, Hirtshals, and Stavanger.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Egersund, Norway |
Area served | Norway, Denmark |
| Services | Passenger transportation, Freight transportation |
Number of employees | 245 (2010) |
| Parent | Bergen Nordhordland Rutelag |
| Website | fjordline |
In addition to passenger transport, Fjord line operates cargo transport through its cargo division in Norway and Denmark.
History
editFjord Line was founded in 1993. In 1998 the company purchased the MS Jupiter and the Bergen - Newcastle route from Color Line.[2]
In 2004 a much larger ship, the MS Fjord Norway was purchased to operate the Norway - Denmark service. The MS Bergen was chartered to DFDS.
Following heavy competition on the Norway - Denmark route, in 2005 Fjord Line began streamlining operations. On return of the MS Bergen from charter, the MS Fjord Norway and the Norway - UK route were sold to DFDS. The MS Jupiter was laid up for sale.
On 1 January 2008 Fjord Line merged with fast ferry operator Master Ferries.
The MS Stavangerfjord was awarded for Best Ship Design at the 2014 Shippax Awards.[3][4]
In 2014 Fjord Line became the world's first ferry operator to use contactless radio frequency identification RFID smart cards for the cabin locks. This solution was provided by Carus Ferry Ltd Ab.[5]
Routes
editFjord Line operates routes between Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
- Kristiansand - Hirtshals (Summer only) (Concurrency with Color Line)
- Stavanger - Bergen
- Sandefjord - Strömstad (Concurrency with Color Line) (Service ending on the 29th of October 2023)[6]
Fleet
editCurrent fleet
editFjord Line currently operates four vessels.
| Name | Built | Entered service | Tonnage | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stavangerfjord | 2013 | 2013 | 31,678 GT | Exclusively powered by Liquified Natural Gas. |
| Bergensfjord | 2014 | 2014[7] | 31,678 GT | From January 2014. Sister of Stavangerfjord. |
| Oslofjord | 1993/2014 | 1993/2014 | 16,551 GT | Formerly ran the Hirtshals/Bergen/Stavanger service and was converted into a day ferry in 2014 and renamed Oslofjord. |
| Fjord FSTR | 2020/2021 | March 2021 | 11,888 GT |
A new ship for the Kristiansand - Hirtshals route. Previously used by Fjord Cat. |
Past fleet
edit| Name | Built | In service | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lygra | 1979 | 1997–2006 | 7,012 GT | Operates between USA and Caribbean |
| Fjord Norway | 1986 | 2003–2006 | 31,356 GT | Sold to DFDS as Princess of Norway |
| Jupiter | 1975 | 1998–2005 | 12,348 GT | Operates as a cruise ship in Vietnam, It sank November 2017 |
| Fjord Cat | 1998 | 2008–2020 | 5,619 GT |
References
edit- ^ "Fjord Line stanser danskebåtene fra Bergen".
- ^ "M/S Wellamo (1975)". www.faktaomfartyg.nu. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Skipsrevyen (2014-04-10). "Fjord Line hedret med "The Shippax Awards" - Skipsrevyen.no". www.skipsrevyen.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ "Shippax Award 2014". Shippax. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ "Article Search".
- ^ Bjerkholdt, Bettina Olie (2023-09-20). "Fjord Line avvikler ruten mellom Sandefjord og Strømstad". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ "Fjord Line Takes Over MS 'Bergensfjord' (Norway)". World Maritime News. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.