Half a century ago, a global shipping revolution was underway as traditional labour-intensive and time-consuming methods of handling cargo were replaced by containerisation and the parallel development of roll-on, roll-off methods. On the North Sea, long-established shipping companies were challenged by upstarts, embracing these new technologies. In 1966, Tor Line entered into an already crowded market in the trades between Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands. Benefiting from effective tonnage and imaginative management, the company gradually gained market share and, during the 1970s, commissioned some of the most advanced passenger and freight ferries yet seen.