Stena AB Agrees to Acquire Norwegian Ferry Operator Color Line for Undisclosed Sum

Swedish industrial group Stena AB, owner of Stena Line, has signed an agreement to acquire Norwegian ferry operator Color Line, currently owned by businessman Olav Nils Sunde and his family. The parties did not disclose the value of the transaction, which remains subject to approval from the relevant regulatory authorities.

The transaction will be structured as a share purchase agreement: Stena AB's subsidiary, Stena Rederi AB, will acquire 100% of the shares of Color Group AS from ONS Invest II AS, the Sunde family's holding company, which in turn fully controls Color Line and its subsidiaries. The deal is expected to close around the end of the first quarter or during the second quarter of 2027.

Once the acquisition is completed, Stena plans to keep Color Line as a separate business and brand, with local management in Norway and vessels flying the Norwegian flag. The Swedish group also intends to support the company in areas such as decarbonization, technology, digitalization, customer service and logistics. Stena Line CEO Niclas Mårtensson described the agreement as a historic milestone for the company, while Color Line CEO Trond Kleivdal noted that Stena aims to preserve the strength of the brand and give the company a stronger foundation for future development.

According to both companies, the signing of the agreement does not affect Color Line's or Stena Line's current sailings, bookings or commercial relationships. The two ferry operators will continue to run as separate, independent businesses while regulatory approval is pending.

Stena AB is a Swedish family-owned industrial group with activities in shipping, ferries, offshore operations, real estate and finance, employing 17,300 people and reporting revenue of SEK 51.9 billion, around USD 5.2 billion. Stena Line, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Gothenburg, operates 40 vessels on 19 routes across northern Europe and the Mediterranean, carrying out 35,000 sailings a year, with 8,750 employees and revenue of SEK 20.2 billion, close to USD 2 billion. Color Line, for its part, employs around 2,200 people across four countries, operates five vessels on four international routes connecting seven ports in Norway, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, and in 2025 posted revenue of more than NOK 6.7 billion, around USD 717 million, carrying approximately 3.6 million passengers and 150,000 cargo units.