Olau Line
Encyclopedia
Olau Line was a shipping company that existed between the years 1956 and 1994. It operated a ferry
service from the United Kingdom
to the Netherlands
from 1974 until 1994. Originally based in Denmark, the company passed under ownership of the German
TT-Line
in 1980.
businessman Ole Lauritzen. Originally the company concentrated in chartering tankers and cargo ships to other shipping companies, but in 1974 Olau Line started a car/passenger ferry
services from Sheerness
in the United Kingdom
to Vlissingen in the Netherlands
and from Copenhagen
(Denmark) to Aalborg
(Denmark). The latter line was closed after merely a month of service. Between 1974 and 1976 the consistence of Olau's fleet varied greatly, until in 1976 the company acquired M/S Apollo from Rederi AB Slite
and renamed her and chartered M/S Finnpartner from Finnlines
, renaming her . These two ships formed the Olau fleet for the next four years.
In 1977 Olau attempted to start a service from Sheerness to Dunkerque, France
, but this was not successful. By the end of the 1970s the company was in heavy debt, and in 1979 Ole Lauritzen was forced to sell 50% of Olau Line to the West Germany
-based TT-Line
. The following year Lauritzen sold his remaining shares of the company to TT-Line. At this time the TT-Line logo was adapted as the new logo for Olau Line, but with red and blue colours instead of TT-Line's yellow and blue. TT-Line decided to invest in new, large state-of-the-art cruiseferries for Olau services. These were delivered in 1981 and 1982 as and , respectively. Unlike Olau's earlier ships, most of which were registered in the United Kingdom, the new ships were registered in TT's homeland Germany.
In the late 1980s TT-Line decided to replace the Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia with new ships. In 1986 and 1987 the company had taken delivery of two cruiseferries based on the design of the Olau Hollandia & Britannia for their Germany
—Sweden
traffic, and it was decided that two additional sisters of the same type would be built for Olau Line. These were delivered in 1989 and 1990, and confusingly named and .
The new Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia were more than twice the size of the old ships with the same names, and they soon proved to be too large for the route they were built for. Due to high operating costs the ships were taken out of the German ship registry and registered in Luxembourg
in January 1993, but action for the German Seamen's Union forced the ships to be re-registered in Germany just a month later. In 1994 TT-Line made plans to move the ships under Bahamian
flag, but when the German Seamen's Union protested again, TT-Line decided to close down Olau Line in May 1994.
Following the closure of Olau Line the second Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia were chartered to P&O Ferries
, who used them successfully for many years on the Portsmouth
—Le Havre
-service.
(1974–1975) - scrapped 1985 (1974–1975, chartered) (1974–1976) - now M/S Azzurra for Azzurra Line (1975–1976, chartered) - scrapped 2003 (1976–1980) - now M/S Apollo for Woodward Group (1976–1981, chartered) - scrapped 2003 (1980–1981, chartered) - now M/S Baia Sardinia for D&P Cruises - now M/S Nordlandia for Eckerö Line
(1982–1990) - now M/S Julia for Fastnet Line
(1989–1994) - now M/S SNAV Sardegna for SNAV
(1990–1994) - now M/S SNAV Lazio for SNAV
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
from 1974 until 1994. Originally based in Denmark, the company passed under ownership of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
TT-Line
TT-Line
TT-Line is a shipping company based in Lübeck, Germany, which has been providing a ferry service between Travemünde in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Trelleborg in southern Sweden since 1962. From 1992 on, Rostock is also offered as starting harbor to Trelleborg...
in 1980.
History
Olau Line was founded in 1956 by the DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
businessman Ole Lauritzen. Originally the company concentrated in chartering tankers and cargo ships to other shipping companies, but in 1974 Olau Line started a car/passenger ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
services from Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to Vlissingen in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and from Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(Denmark) to Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
(Denmark). The latter line was closed after merely a month of service. Between 1974 and 1976 the consistence of Olau's fleet varied greatly, until in 1976 the company acquired M/S Apollo from Rederi AB Slite
Rederi AB Slite
Rederi AB Slite was a Swedish shipping company, founded in 1947. The company was one of the three founding companies of Viking Line. Rederi AB Slite went bankrupt in 1993.-Early History:...
and renamed her and chartered M/S Finnpartner from Finnlines
Finnlines
Finnlines Plc is a Finnish shipping company that operates freight throughout Northern Europe as well as passenger services in the Baltic Sea. In the past, Finnlines has operated ships under the brands Finncarriers, Finnflow Systems, Finnjet Lines, and FG Shipping Oy Ab...
, renaming her . These two ships formed the Olau fleet for the next four years.
In 1977 Olau attempted to start a service from Sheerness to Dunkerque, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, but this was not successful. By the end of the 1970s the company was in heavy debt, and in 1979 Ole Lauritzen was forced to sell 50% of Olau Line to the West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
-based TT-Line
TT-Line
TT-Line is a shipping company based in Lübeck, Germany, which has been providing a ferry service between Travemünde in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Trelleborg in southern Sweden since 1962. From 1992 on, Rostock is also offered as starting harbor to Trelleborg...
. The following year Lauritzen sold his remaining shares of the company to TT-Line. At this time the TT-Line logo was adapted as the new logo for Olau Line, but with red and blue colours instead of TT-Line's yellow and blue. TT-Line decided to invest in new, large state-of-the-art cruiseferries for Olau services. These were delivered in 1981 and 1982 as and , respectively. Unlike Olau's earlier ships, most of which were registered in the United Kingdom, the new ships were registered in TT's homeland Germany.
In the late 1980s TT-Line decided to replace the Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia with new ships. In 1986 and 1987 the company had taken delivery of two cruiseferries based on the design of the Olau Hollandia & Britannia for their Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
—Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
traffic, and it was decided that two additional sisters of the same type would be built for Olau Line. These were delivered in 1989 and 1990, and confusingly named and .
The new Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia were more than twice the size of the old ships with the same names, and they soon proved to be too large for the route they were built for. Due to high operating costs the ships were taken out of the German ship registry and registered in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
in January 1993, but action for the German Seamen's Union forced the ships to be re-registered in Germany just a month later. In 1994 TT-Line made plans to move the ships under Bahamian
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
flag, but when the German Seamen's Union protested again, TT-Line decided to close down Olau Line in May 1994.
Following the closure of Olau Line the second Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia were chartered to P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...
, who used them successfully for many years on the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
—Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
-service.
Ships
Not a complete list.(1974–1975) - scrapped 1985 (1974–1975, chartered) (1974–1976) - now M/S Azzurra for Azzurra Line (1975–1976, chartered) - scrapped 2003 (1976–1980) - now M/S Apollo for Woodward Group (1976–1981, chartered) - scrapped 2003 (1980–1981, chartered) - now M/S Baia Sardinia for D&P Cruises - now M/S Nordlandia for Eckerö Line
Eckerö Line
Eckerö Line is a Finnish shipping companies owned by the Åland-based Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö. Eckerö Line operates two ferries between Helsinki and Tallinn...
(1982–1990) - now M/S Julia for Fastnet Line
Fastnet Line
Fastnet Line operate a passenger & freight ferry service from Ringaskiddy, Cork, Ireland to Swansea, Wales.-History:From 1987 to 2006, the Swansea Cork ferry was operated by Swansea Cork Ferries Limited, an Irish-based company. The service ceased operating after the 2006 season...
(1989–1994) - now M/S SNAV Sardegna for SNAV
SNAV
SNAV is an Italian company that operates ferry services from Italy to Sardinia, Croatia and Sicily.- Routes :SNAV operates a large network of routes across the Mediterranean and Adriatic....
(1990–1994) - now M/S SNAV Lazio for SNAV