Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines carries one of the oldest names in cruising. The Olsen family's shipping business began in Hvitsten, Norway, in 1848, when Fredrik Christian Olsen and his brothers Petter and Andreas became shipowners, and the firm has remained in family hands through five generations. Passenger shipping grew out of that Norwegian cargo and ferry heritage, and the modern cruise line, based in Ipswich, England, serves a predominantly British market in a deliberately traditional style. Its defining choice has always been size: Fred. Olsen sails smaller, classic ships rather than large resort vessels, favouring personal service and an unhurried onboard atmosphere. The three ships in this directory show the pattern clearly. Balmoral, launched in 1987, is the veteran of the fleet, a mid-sized ship with an earlier career under other names. Borealis and Bolette, launched in 1996 and 2000, are sisters of the Rotterdam class, larger at about 62,000 GT but still modest by contemporary standards. All three are secondhand tonnage, carefully refitted for their present role, rather than ships built for the line.
The fleet — 3 ships in this directory
Sources: https://www.rolcruise.co.uk/blog/fred-olsen-cruise-lines-guide, https://www.cruisemapper.com/cruise-lines/Fred-Olsen-Cruise-Lines-26