Stena buys Color Line, Norway's largest ferry operator and owner of Color Magic
The Sunde family sells all of the five-ship company; Color Line keeps its brand, Norwegian management and Norwegian flag
Stena, already one of Europe's largest ferry groups, has agreed to buy 100% of Color Line, Norway's largest cruise and ferry operator. Color Line is privately held, and the price has not been disclosed.
Color Line runs five ships on routes linking Norway with Denmark, Germany and Sweden. Its two flagships, the sisters Color Magic and Color Fantasy, are among the largest cruise ferries in the world. The company reported revenue above $718m for 2025, when it carried nearly 3.6 million passengers and about 150,000 freight units.
Stena intends to keep Color Line as an independent brand under Norwegian management, with its ships staying on the Norwegian register. The new owner says it will bring support in decarbonisation, digitalisation and logistics. Olav Nils Sunde, whose family owns Color Line, has said the time was right to sell, and that the company's future calls for restructuring and digitalisation.
"A true milestone in Stena Line's history," said Niclas Mårtensson, chief executive of Stena Line.
The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions by Stena Line. In September 2025 it agreed to buy all the shares in Terrabalt, the ferry and ro-ro port operator at Ventspils in Latvia, and in February 2026 it completed the takeover of NLC Ferry, which trades as Wasaline, signed in November 2025.
Color Magic, delivered in 2007, and Color Fantasy are both registered in Norway, and under the agreement the whole Color Line fleet stays on the Norwegian register with Norwegian management. No timetable for completion or for regulatory approval has been given.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 28 October 2026.
