Fylkesbaatane
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Fjord1 Fylkesbaatane (formerly known as Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane and Nordre Bergenhus Amts Dampskibe) is a Norwegian transport company. It is a subsidiary of the Fjord1 Nordvestlandske conglomerate and primarily runs ferry, passenger and freight traffic in
Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...
county. The company was founded in 1858 under the name Nordre Bergenhus Amts Dampskibe and the first two ships SS ''Framnæs'' and SS ''Fjalir'' were purchased that year. The company was publicly owned as it has remained since. From 1896 to 1903 later Norwegian Prime minister Christian Michelsen was director. In 1919 the company changed its name to Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane. In 1914 the two first motor ships were purchased. In 1937 the company built their last steam powered ship SS ''Fanaraaken''. In 1939 the first car ferry, ''Lærdal'', was added to the fleet. During the 1950s, '60s and '70s, the company grew along with the general post-
WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
expansion and improvement in Norwegian infrastructure. The company developed into its present form from the late 1960s when the first fast passenger boats were built. From the same period car ferries became a top priority. The bulk of the Fylkesbaatane fleet still consists of ferries from the period 1960–1980. In 1971 the company opened a fast passenger route from Sogn og Fjordane to
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
. One of the ships used was the world's first commercial passenger
catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...
M/S ''Fjordglytt''. Today there is one route from Bergen to
Sogn Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway (''Vestlandet''). It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
and one to
Nordfjord Nordfjord (—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. Geography The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises Stad Muni ...
. The Sogn route is at its end stop in
Øvre Årdal Øvre Årdal is a village in Årdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is the larger of the two primary villages in Årdal. The village is situated at the northern end of the long lake Årdalsvatnet, with the village of Årdalstangen at ...
6 hours and 15 minutes after leaving Bergen. The Nordfjord route is at its end stop in Selje 4 hours and 55 minutes after leaving Bergen. There are also several local fast passenger boat routes. In 2001 Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane and Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar created the company Nordvestlandske. The cooperation culminated in 2002, by the formation of the Fjord1 Nordvestlandske group. This merger did not go down undisputed, as some of the decisions were seen as unfavourable to Møre og Romsdal. It was decided that the conglomerate headquarters should be located in Florø. It was also unpopular in Møre og Romsdal that Sogn og Fjordane county received a 59% majority share in
Fjord1 Fjord1 AS is a Norway, Norwegian transport conglomerate, one of the largest in the Norway, Norwegian transport sector. Formed in 2001, company headquarters are in Florø, with the headquarters of the ferry division in Molde (town), Molde. It opera ...
, thereby effectively seizing control of the company. The ships of Fylkesbaatane have been a vital and major part of the lives of people living in the steep fjords and along the rugged coastline of Sogn og Fjordane. Before the transportation network was developed significantly from the 1950s they were the only means of transportation in the region. This has among other things been reflected by the Norwegian Postal Service issuing three stamps featuring the Fylkesbaatane ships ''Framnæs'', ''Kommandøren'' and ''Hornelen''. A few of the old legendary fjord ships are preserved by enthusiasts. Among them are ''Atløy'

delivered in 1931, and ''Stavenes''. Several books have also been written on the history of the company and its ships. Fjord1 Fylkesbaatane has around 700 employees and its main office in Florø. The company is currently involved in a project to introduce
Liquefied natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume o ...
(LNG) powered car ferries. Two such ferries are already in operation and more are under construction at
Aker Yards Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...
and BLRT Fiskerstrand.


Fleet


Sources


Fjord1 official site


References

{{Authority control Ferry companies of Vestland Shipping companies of Norway Companies based in Vestland Companies established in 1858 1858 establishments in Norway Fjord1 Kinn Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality