Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab was a Norwegian

shipping company A shipping line or shipping company is a company whose line of business is ownership and operation of ships. Shipping companies provide a method of distinguishing ships by different kinds of cargo: # Bulk cargo is a type of special cargo that is ...

that operated

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

in Northern Norway. The ferry service was founded by

Richard With Richard Bernhard With (18 September 1846 – 9 February 1930) was a Norwegian ship captain, businessman, and politician for the Liberal Left Party. He is known as the founder of the shipping companies Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab and Hurtigrute ...

on 10 November 1881 at Stokmarknes in

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

, Norway. In the same year, the shipping company's first ship - the steamer DS ''Vesteraalen'' from 1865 (ex-SS ''Arendal'') was purchased from Arendals Dampskibsselskab. The company ran in the local transportation route, and then it started the first Coastal Express in 1893 with the ship from 1891. The company merged in 1987 with Ofotens Dampskibsselskab and a new company was formed, Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab (OVDS). That company merged with Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap in 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group.
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References

Ferry companies of Norway Defunct shipping companies of Norway Transport companies of Nordland Hadsel Companies established in 1881 1881 establishments in Norway Companies disestablished in 1987 {{Norway-shipping-company-stub