Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab

Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab, a Norwegian shipping company founded in 1881 by Richard With, operated a fleet of ferries in Northern Norway, with its headquarters in Stokmarknes. The company's inaugural vessel, the steamer DS Vesteraalen, was purchased from Arendals Dampskibsselskab in 1881. Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab pioneered the first Coastal Express in 1893 and continued to expand its operations until its merger with Ofotens Dampskibsselskab in 1987, forming Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab (OVDS), which subsequently merged with Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap in 2006 to form Hurtigruten Group↗. Learn more about the company's history on Wikipedia↗. References: Hurtigruten Group↗