Fjord Line

Origins and founding (1993)

Fjord Line traces its origins to Rutelaget Askøy-Bergen, a regional passenger shipping cooperative in western Norway. When the Askøy Bridge opened in 1992 and rendered the Bergen–Askøy ferry route redundant, the cooperative closed its ferry business and sold its existing fleet. The proceeds were used to purchase a large ship hull. The owners fitted new cabins, named the vessel MS Bergen, and established a new route between Hanstholm in Denmark and Bergen and Egersund in Norway. The aim was both to encourage people in western Norway to travel abroad, and to attract European tourists to western Norway.^[3] In 1993, MS Bergen – the vessel that would later become MS Oslofjord – began its sailings between Hanstholm, Bergen and Egersund, marking the beginning of Fjord Line as an international ferry operator.

Expansion and the England route (1998–2004)

In 1998, Fjord Line expanded its network by purchasing the vessel MS Color Viking from Color Line, renaming it MS Jupiter, and assuming operation of the Bergen–Stavanger–Newcastle route. At this point Fjord Line became the sole operator providing international passenger and freight services from western Norway.^[3] In 2003, Fjord Line introduced the larger vessel MS Fjord Norway on the Norway–Denmark route, substantially increasing passenger capacity. Haugesund was added as a new port of call the same year.

Restructuring (2005–2007)

In 2005, Color Line introduced additional capacity on the Norway–Denmark corridor, intensifying competition. Facing financial pressure, Fjord Line decided to sell MS Fjord Norway and the Norway–UK route to DFDS and to discontinue the Newcastle service. MS Jupiter was laid up for sale. The company refocused entirely on the Norway–Denmark route from western Norway.^[3] In 2006 and 2007, Fjord Line worked to reverse declining performance and attracted new ownership.

Merger with Master Ferries (2008)

On 1 January 2008, Fjord Line merged with fast ferry operator Master Ferries, which operated the high-speed catamaran HSC Fjord Cat on the Kristiansand–Hirtshals route. Following the merger, the ports of Egersund, Haugesund and Hanstholm were discontinued as Fjord Line consolidated its Norwegian hub at Risavika near Stavanger, focusing on the Hirtshals–Stavanger–Bergen route.^[3]

Fleet renewal and new ownership (2010–2015)

Following a change in ownership and management around 2010, Fjord Line committed to a major fleet renewal programme, investing in two new purpose-built, environmentally friendly cruise ferries. MS Stavangerfjord entered service on 14 July 2013, becoming the world's first cruise ferry to operate exclusively on liquefied natural gas (LNG).^[2] The vessel was built with a hull by Gdańsk Shipyard and completed at Fosen Yard in Norway. MS Stavangerfjord serviced the Hirtshals–Stavanger–Bergen and Hirtshals–Langesund routes, offering for the first time a connection between Denmark and eastern Norway (Langesund). Its sister ship, MS Bergensfjord, made her first voyage on 9 March 2014, enabling near-daily departures between Hirtshals and three Norwegian ports.^[3] Also in 2014, the thoroughly refurbished MS Bergen entered service under the new name MS Oslofjord on a new route between Sandefjord and Strömstad, Sweden, on 20 June. Fjord Line received the Best Ship Design award at the Shippax Awards 2014 for MS Stavangerfjord.^[4] Also in 2014, Fjord Line became the world's first ferry operator to deploy contactless RFID smart cards for cabin door locks.^[5] In autumn 2015, Norwegian private investment company Ferd AS, owned by the Andresen family, became a major shareholder in Fjord Line.^[3]

Catamaran replacement and COVID-19 (2018–2021)

In 2018, Fjord Line decided to replace the aging HSC Fjord Cat with a new high-speed catamaran. The vessel, named Fjord FSTR, was built by Austal at its shipyard in Balamban, Cebu, Philippines. Planned for the 2020 season, delivery was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During its delivery voyage from the Philippines, Fjord FSTR was among the vessels delayed when the container ship MV Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal in March 2021, blocking all traffic. The catamaran arrived at its home port of Hirtshals on 11 April 2021 and entered service on the Kristiansand–Hirtshals route on 1 June 2021.^[3] In October 2020, as part of the company's response to the pandemic, CEO Rickard Ternblom departed. Arne Roland served as interim CEO before Brian Thorsted Hansen – a former Vice President at DFDS with 14 years of experience at that company – was appointed CEO in January 2021.^[3] In October 2020, Fjord Line also announced a temporary scale-back of operations.^[6] On 25 March 2021, MS Oslofjord was transferred from the Danish International Ship Register (DIS) to the Norwegian Ordinary Ship Register (NOR), with Sandefjord as its new home port, as approximately 90% of the vessel's passengers were Norwegian.^[3]

Port change and engine conversion (2023)

In early 2023, MS Stavangerfjord and MS Bergensfjord were taken out of service for conversion from single-fuel LNG engines to dual-fuel engines capable of switching between LNG and marine gas oil (MGO), providing greater operational flexibility in response to high LNG prices during the 2021–2023 global energy crisis. MS Stavangerfjord returned to service on 26 May 2023, and MS Bergensfjord on 17 June 2023.^[3] During this period, Fjord Line made a permanent route change, switching the Norwegian intermediate port for both vessels from Langesund to Kristiansand. The ships now serve Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Hirtshals, giving Fjord Line a year-round service between Kristiansand and Hirtshals alongside the catamaran Fjord FSTR.^[3] In September 2023, Fjord Line announced the discontinuation of the Sandefjord–Strömstad route. The final sailing of MS Oslofjord on this route took place on 24 October 2023, after nine years of operation. The vessel was subsequently transferred to the Croatian shipping company Jadrolinija in February 2024.^[7]

Current fleet

Fjord Line currently operates three vessels.

Past fleet