Norse Merchant Ferries was an Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

 ferry company that operating passenger and freight RORO

RORO

Roll-on/roll-off ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers or railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels...

 services between England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

History

Norse Merchant Ferries was created in October 1999 when Cenargo, the owners of Merchant Ferries purchased Norse Irish Ferries

Norse Irish Ferries

Norse Irish Ferries was an Irish Sea ferry company that operated a passenger and freight roll-on/roll-off service between Belfast and Liverpool.-History:...

. The companies operated separately until February 2001 when Norse Merchant Ferries was officially launched.

In January 2003 Cenargo filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code

Bankruptcy in the United States

Bankruptcy in the United States is governed under the United States Constitution which authorizes Congress to enact "uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States." Congress has exercised this authority several times since 1801, most recently by adopting the Bankruptcy...

. The shipping subsidiaries of Cenargo emerged from administration in December 2003 as Norse Merchant Group.

In November 2005 the Norse Merchant Group was acquired by Maersk and integrated into Norfolkline

Norfolkline

Norfolkline was a European ferry operator and logistics company owned by Maersk. It provided freight ferry services on the English channel, Irish Sea, and the North Sea; and passenger ferry services on the English channel and Irish Sea; and logistics services across Europe...

Routes

Norse Merchant Ferries operated the following routes across the Irish Sea

• Liverpool
  Port of Liverpool
  The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river...
  
   (Canada Dock
  Canada Dock
  Canada Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Kirkdale. Canada Dock consists of a main basin nearest the river wall with three branch docks and a graving dock to the east...
  
  ) - Dublin
• Liverpool (Brocklebank Dock
  Brocklebank Dock
  Brocklebank Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Bootle, connected to Langton Dock to the north and Canada Dock to the south. Carrier Dock was originally sited to the east....
  
  ) - Belfast
• Heysham
  Heysham
  Heysham is a large coastal village near Lancaster in the county of Lancashire, England. Overlooking Morecambe Bay, it is a ferry port with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Heysham is the site of two nuclear power stations which are landmarks visible from hills in the surrounding area...
  
   - Dublin (Freight only)
• Heysham - Belfast (Freight only)

Note: The Liverpool services where transferred to Birkenhead

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...

 Twelve Quays

Twelve quays

The Twelve Quays ferry terminal is located on the River Mersey at Birkenhead, Wirral Peninsula, England. It is used for transporting passengers and freight between Merseyside and Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dublin, Republic of Ireland...

 in 2002

Fleet

• Merchant Venture
• Lindarosa
• Norse Mersey
• Dawn Merchant
• Brave Merchant
• Merchant Bravery
• Merchant Brilliant
  MS Merchant Brilliant
  The Merchant Brilliant is a ferry owned by Brilliant Shipping Ltd and currently in service with Norfolk Line.-History:Merchant Brilliant was launched in 1978 as Norwegian Challenger, originally owned by Steineger & Wik. She was chartered by Norient Line from 1980 - 1981 and then by OT Africa Line...
  
  
• RR Arrow
• RR Shield
• Saga Moon
• River Lune
• Liverpool Viking
• Dublin Viking
• Lagan Viking
  Lagan Viking
  The Stena Lagan is a RoPax ferry operated by Stena Line between Birkenhead and Belfast.-History:The Stena Lagan was built in July 2005 as the Lagan Viking, Entering service with Norse Merchant Ferries later the same month. Within a few months of operation, Norse Merchant Ferries was acquired by...
  
  
• Mersey Viking
  Mersey Viking
  The Stena Mersey is a RoPax ferry operated by Stena Line between Birkenhead and Belfast.She was built in Italy by Cantiere Navale Visentini. She is 26,500GRT and can carry up to 980 passengers in her 2 lounges, and can sleep up to 480 passengers in cabins. She has 4 vehicle decks and room for...