Havila Capella christened in Fosnavåg

On Tuesday, the coastal cruise ship Havila Capella was christened by godmother Hege Sævik Rabben outside Havila Voyages' head office at Mjølstadneset in Fosnavåg, Norway.

Just under a year after the ship was put into operation along the historic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes, Havila Capella was officially christened in Fosnavåg on Tuesday. The ship's godmother is Hege Sævik Rabben, board member of Havila Voyages, and she christened the ship in clean water taken from Geiranger.

“It is a great honor to be the godmother of such a great ship, especially here in Fosnavåg where the ship is registered and the shipping company has its head office”, says Sævik Rabben.

“For both Havila Capella and the company, it has been a difficult start to the operation along the coastal route, but we are optimistic for the future”.

A guiding star
Stars were the starting point when Havila Voyages' new ships were to be named. It all started when chairman and main shareholder Per Sævik announced a naming competition for his eight grandchildren. The assumption was that the names should be Havila and a star name.

“The names of all four of our ships are guiding stars. Throughout history Capella, Castor, Polaris and Pollux have been used for navigation at sea and to guide sailors home”, explains Per Sævik.

“This has been a proud day for us, and as a seaman myself it is good to have finally christened Havila Capella”.

Havila Capella is the most environmentally friendly ship on the coastal route, with its hybrid operation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the world's largest battery pack on a passenger ship. Earlier this year, Havila Capella also received the "Next Generation Ship Award" during the Nor-Shipping fair outside Oslo.

“The characteristics of Havila Capella make her a guiding star along the coast, like her sister ships. We have already sailed the world heritage in the Geirangerfjord emission-free, 4 years before the authorities' requirements, and have ships that have been built to meet the future requirements and opportunities for completely emission-free sailings. It is therefore fitting that Havila Capella is named after a guiding star”, says managing director Bent Martini.

Despite the slightly cloudy weather, the christening of Havila Capella at Mjølstadneset, was a success.

“It is nice to see that the local population here in Fosnavåg appreciates us, and that many locals took part in this celebration”, says Martini.

“I am also proud of our wonderful employees who have persevered and worked hard to facilitate such a successful celebration”, he concludes.

Download more images and a video from the celebration below.