 | |
 Norsky departing from Ipswich, 1993 | |
| Genre | Ferry company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1965 |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Fate | Merged with P&O North Sea Ferries |
| Successor | P&O Ferries |
| Headquarters | , England |
Area served | Belgium, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Rotterdam, Hull, Zeebrugge |
| Services | Passenger transportation, freight transportation |
| Parent | P&O and Nedlloyd |
North Sea Ferries was a ferry operator who ran services between the United Kingdom and Belgium and The Netherlands. [1]
The company was originally formed in 1965 by a consortium of six European concerns (two British, two German and two Dutch) [1] to operate a ferry service between Kingston Upon Hull and Rotterdam Europoort. The original consortium members were Tyne Tees Steam Shipping Company (at that time part of Coast Lines), General Steam Navigation Company (majority owned by The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company), Argo Reederei Richard Adler & Söhne, A. Kirsten, Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij and Phs. van Ommeren. [2]
Even before commencement of the Hull-Rotterdam service, North Sea Ferries were already exploring the potential for new routes between Britain and Europe. [3] The Rotterdam service commenced operations in December 1965. [1]
The remains of Coast Lines was acquired by P&O in 1971 [4] and combined with the operations of General Steam Navigation to form the basis of P&O Ferries, [5] with P&O therefore now directly holding an increased stake in the North Sea Ferries joint venture. A. Kirsten were declared bankrupt in October 1975. [6]
By 1980, Van Ommeren and Argo Reederei were reported as having little interest in North Sea Ferries and a proposal was made for their remaining minority stakes to be sold to the other two remaining partners in the consortium [7] (KNSM having merged with Nedlloyd). Thus, North Sea Ferries became jointly owned by P&O and Nedlloyd. [8] [1]
In 1987, the Princess Margaret Ferry Terminal was built under the operation of North Sea Ferries. The building is now under the ownership of Associated British Ports and is operated by P&O Ferries.
North Sea Ferries operated until 1996, when Nedlloyd's share of the venture was purchased by P&O giving them sole ownership. [9] After this point operations were merged into P&O Operations as P&O North Sea Ferries as part of the reorganisation of P&O Ferries arising from the merger of their Dover Straits services with those of Stena Line. [10] P&O North Sea Ferries was then merged with P&O Ferries in 2003. [11]
 |
| Name | Built | In service | Tonnage | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwave | 1965 (AG Weser, Bremerhaven, Germany) | 1965–1987 | 4,000 GT | Scrapped at Drapetzona Shipyard in 1988 after an explosion [1] |
| Norwind | 1966 (AG Weser, Bremerhaven, Germany) | 1965–1987 | 4,000 GT | Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 1995 after fire the previous year at Piraeus [1] [12] |
| Norland | 1974 (AG Weser, Bremerhaven, Germany) | 1974–1996 | 12,998 GT (before lengthening) 15,047 GT (after lengthening) | Served as a troop ship during Falklands War, lengthened in 1987, scrapped at Alang Ship Breaking Yard in 2010 [1] [13] |
| Norstar | 1974 (AG Weser, Bremerhaven, Germany) | 1974–1996 | 12,998 GT (before lengthening) 15,047 GT (after lengthening) | Lengthened in 1987, scrapped at Alang Ship Breaking Yard in 2010 [1] [14] |
| Norsea Norsky | 1979 (Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co, Tamano, Japan) | 1981–1986 1986-1996 | 6,310 GRT | Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2011 [1] [15] |
| Norsea | 1987 (Govan Shipbuilders, Glasgow, Scotland) | 1987–1996 | 31,598 GT | Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2025 [1] [16] |
| Norsun | 1987 (Nippon Kokan K.K., Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Japan) | 1987–1996 | 31,598 GT | Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2025 [1] [17] |
| Norcape | 1979 (Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co, Tamano, Japan) | 1988–1996 | 6,310 GRT | Scrapped at Aliaga Ship Breaking Yard in 2011 [1] [18] |
| Norbank | 1993 (Van der Giessen de Noord, Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands) | 1993–1996 | Currently in service (as of 2025) as DP World Express with DP World [19] | |
| Norbay | 1994 (Van der Giessen de Noord, Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands) | 1994–1996 | Currently in service (as of 2025) with P&O Ferries [20] | |
The former North Sea Ferries route between Hull and Rotterdam continues to be operated by P&O Ferries.
A service between Ipswich and Rotterdam was latterly operated by Luxembourg-based CLdN. This route was closed by the company in August 2012. [21]
Sailings by P&O between Hull and Zeebrugge ceased in January 2021 [22] due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, although it was noted at the time of the closure announcement by Darren Procter of the RMT Union that it had been a "challenging route for a number of years". [23]
In July 2025, P&O Ferries announced it was closing the route between Middlesbrough and Zeebrugge [24] at the end of the month to focus on other routes. [25]
