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Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

From: European Cruise Guide

ABOVE: Fred. Olsen's Balmoral sails under the Forth Bridge as it leaves Rosyth, Scotland.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines traces its roots back to 1848, when three Norwegian  brothers--Fredrik Christian, Petter, and Andreas Olsen--bought a handful of ships and launched an international shipping company.

The family firm's headquarters is still in Oslo, although its passenger subsidiary--Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines--is based in Ipswich, England. The line focuses primarily on the British market but has overseas agents in countries as far away as the United States, South Africa, and Australia.

Fred. Olsen currently has three mid-size vessels: Bollette, Balmoral, and Borealis, which range in size from 924 to 1,360 passengers.

The company's European cruise destinations include out-of-the-way locations such as Greenland and Arctic Norway along with more typical Mediterranean and Baltic ports. Cruise lengths range from a single night to a month or more.

Cruise line's Web site:

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines