Fjord1 Nordvestlandske
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Fjord1 Nordvestlandske is a Norwegian transport conglomerate, formed in 2001 by the merger of Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar and Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane. The company itself is a holding company for its numerous subsidiaries. Company headquarters are located in Florø; however, the headquarters of the important ferry division is located in Molde.
The company is one of the largest in the Norwegian transport sector. Its main assets are the two ferry companies MRF and Fylkesbaatane, which service the rugged and numerous fjords of Møre og Romsdal and Sogn og Fjordane. In addition, the company owns four local bus companies, including Mørebil and Sogn Billag. It is also involved in numerous transport ventures within its two home counties.
The company is owned by the county administrations in Sogn og Fjordane (59 %) and Møre og Romsdal (41 %). This fact, and the fact that the company headquarters were located in Sogn og Fjordane, has made the merger somewhat unpopular in Møre og Romsdal. The choice of name, Fjord1, did also not go down well with the local population. These strains on public relations, amongst other things, resulted in talks intended to further the merger process breaking down during the winter and spring of 2004.