Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a UK-based, Norwegian-owned cruise shipping line with three cruise ships. The company is owned by Bonheur and is headquartered in Ipswich, Suffolk, in the United Kingdom. The company is part of the Fred. Olsen Group.
History The company originated in Hvitsten, a small town on Oslofjord in Norway, in 1848 by three Olsen brothers, Fredrik Christian, Petter and Andras, who bought their first ships and began an international shipping company. The company is now into the fifth generation of the family and operates various companies skilled within the cruise and passenger shipping trade, as well as aviation, ships' crewing, ship building and offshore industries. The Fred. Olsen group also has business interests in the luxury hotel sector, estate management, property development and electronics companies.
In May 2006 Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines announced the purchase of a new vessel, Norwegian Crown, from Norwegian Cruise Line. Following delivery of the vessel in November 2007, she was dry-docked for refurbishment. She was renamed Balmoral and entered service early in 2008. This was followed by a new centre section being added, with new cabins and public rooms, increasing the size from to (approx).
In 2018 Fred. Olsen announced that a series of 600-passenger-newbuilts was being planned and they were in negotiations with shipyards, but those newbuilts were never ordered.
In July 2020, Fred. Olsen bought the former Holland America Line ships Amsterdam and Rotterdam for $37m and renamed them Bolette and Borealis respectively, to be delivered in September 2020. They replaced the Boudicca and the Black Watch which were retired in August 2020.
Fleet Current fleet Ship / Flag Built In service Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image Balmoral 1988 2007 onwards former Crown Odyssey; Royal Cruise Line Borealis 1997 2020 onwards former Rotterdam; Holland America Line Bolette 2000 2020 onwards former Amsterdam; Holland America Line
Former fleet Ship Built In service Tonnage Notes Fate Image 1966 1966-2008 Built as a combination ferry/cruise ships/reefer ship. Scrapped in 2008 as Crown A 1966 Built as a combination ferry/cruise ship/reefer ship. Rebuilt into a cruise ship in 1987. Scrapped in October 2013 as Ola Esmeralda. Blenheim 1970 1970–1981 Built by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd as a larger version of Black Prince and Black Watch combination ferry/cruise ships. Sold to Scandinavia World Cruises 1981. Burnt out 1984. Rebuilt and continued as Discovery 1. Scrapped in 1997. Brabant 2006 2018–2020 1,566 GT First river cruise for Fred Olsen. Chartered from Amadeus River Cruises between 2018 and 2020. Laid up in Germany. Black Watch 1972 1996–2020 Retired in 2020, after Fred. Olsen bought the former Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Scrapped in Alang, India in 2022. Boudicca 1973 2005–2020 Retired in 2020, after Fred. Olsen bought the former Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Scrapped in Aliağa, Turkey in 2021. Braemar 1993 2001–2024 Retired in 2022, sold to Villa Vie in 2024
Destinations and cruise holidays For most of the year, the ships are based in UK ports.
Destinations include Northern Europe, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, Africa, Canada, the United States and South America
Operations Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines operates smaller scale cruise ships, ranging in size from 24,000 to (approx), currently a fleet of three cruise ships, the ambience on board is traditionally British.
RNLI Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is the RNLI's longest-standing corporate partner, with a history that spans more than 60 years, all starting in the 1960s, when an RNLI volunteer started fundraising on board a Fred. Olsen cruise. Since then, the generosity of Fred. Olsen's guests and crew has raised over £1 million, which has funded:– five Inshore Lifeboats three mobile training units three seminar rooms at RNLI College in Poole the development and cost of three lifeboat launching trolleys mobile health check kiosks for divers RNLI apprenticeships
Fred. Olsen funded RNLI lifeboats Op. No. Name / Class Station Comments B-549 Blenwatch 19961996–19971997–19981998–20012001–2003 Relief fleetRelief fleetEnniskillin (Lower) Now with ICE-SAR C-521 Prince of Arran 1988–1998 Arran (Lamlash) B-774 Braemar 2001–201420142014–20152015–2021 Relief fleetRelief fleet B-856 Spirit of Fred. Olsen 2011– B-913 Pride of Fred. Olsen 201920192019–20202020–20212021–20242024– Relief FleetRelief FleetRelief Fleet
References
External links
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines official website Fakta om Fartyg: Fred. Olsen (covers ships of all Fred. Olsen brands, past and present) Cruisepage.com Review Photos of Black Watch and other Fred Olsen cruise ships Photos of the current Fred. Olsen Cruises fleet