Stena Line, one of the largest ferry operators in Europe, has recently acquired 100% of the shares of Color Line, the largest cruise and ferry operator in Norway. This agreement allows Stena Line to expand its maritime transport services in the Scandinavian region and focus on further development opportunities.
Details of the Purchase and Financial Aspects
The purchase price of these shares has not been officially announced, but reports indicate Color Line's revenue exceeding $718 million in 2025, with nearly 3.6 million passengers and 150,000 freight units transported. Stena Line operates with 40 ships and 19 routes in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, and this acquisition will strengthen its position in the maritime transport market.
Continuation of Color Line's Independent Operations
After the completion of the acquisition process, Stena Line intends to continue Color Line as an independent business and brand, maintaining local management in Norway and Norwegian-registered ships. Additionally, Stena Line will leverage its industrial expertise and experience to further strengthen and develop Color Line in various areas such as carbon reduction, technology and digitalization, customer service, and logistics.
Trond Kleivdal, CEO of Color Line, stated: "Color Line is one of the most recognized and valuable brands in our industry, and Stena Line intends to preserve these strengths and create a stronger foundation for the company's future development and innovation."
Color Line is the result of several mergers, tracing its roots back to two Norwegian shipping companies, Jahre Line and Norway Line, which merged in 1990. The company then acquired the Fred. Olsen ferry operations and took over the Larvik Line operations in 1997, making Olaf Nils Sunde the largest shareholder of Color Line.
The investment company O.N. Sunde entered the cruise and ferry sector in 1994-1995 and ultimately gained full ownership of Color Line in 1999.
