Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab was a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 shipping company that operated ferries

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...

 in Northern Norway. It was founded by Richard With

Richard With

Richard Bernhard With was a Norwegian ship captain, businessman and politician for the Liberal Left Party. He is known as the founder of Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab and Hurtigruten.-Background:...

 on 10 November 1881 at Stokmarknes

Stokmarknes

is a small town on the island of Hadsel in Nordland, Norway. It is the municipality centre of the Hadsel municipality. Township was declared in 2000. It is home to Hurtigruten. The local hospital for the Vesterålen region is situated in Stokmarknes....

. That same year, the shipping company's first ship - SS Vesteraalen "from 1865 (ex-SS Arendal") was purchased from Arendals Dampskibsselskab. The company ran in the local transportation route, and that it started the first Coastal Express

Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...

 in 1893 with the ship SS Vesteraalen from 1891. The company merged in 1987 with Ofotens Dampskibsselskab, and the new company was named Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab

Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab

Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab or OVDS was a Norwegian shipping company that operated ferries in Northern Norway, including the Coastal Express, car ferries and passenger ferries. The company merged with Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap in 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group.OVDS's main office...

(OVDS).