 During a funeral at Jelsa, north of Stavanger, Norway, in 1854, the trader Ole Thorsen discussed the idea of launching a steamship company that would operate on a regular basis on the fjords of the county Rogaland, between Stavanger and Ryfylke.There were several important men present during the funeral and the idea struck.The idea was since debated in several newspaper articles in the fall of 1854.