Press release -
Havila Capella to resume operations
Havila Kystruten has received the necessary certificates from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, which means that the coastal cruise ship Havila Capella is now fully insured and can restart operations along the Norwegian coast.
Havila Capella has been moored at the quay in Bergen since 12th of April, when the insurance companies terminated their contracts on the ship due to the EU's sanctions against the leasing company GTLK Asia.
Havila Kystruten has also been working on solutions to take over ownership of the ship. Among other things, the company has filed a case to the High Court of England & Wales in London to force a change of ownership of Havila Capella. At the same time, the shipping company, through a petition to the Hordaland District Court on 16th of June, demanded temporary arrest and forced use to operate Havila Capella.
Operations resume on 28th of June
On 20thof June, the ruling came from Hordaland District Court, where they upheld the company`s request.
“Through the ruling from Hordaland District Court, we have been given the role of principal administrator of Havila Capella, with all the rights that a registered owner has”, Martini explains.
“The Norwegian Maritime Directorate has now issued valid certificates for Havila Capella to Havila Kystruten, which means that we have received valid P&I insurance with assistance from the insurance company Skuld. Over the next few days, we will seek to conclude the hull insurance for the ship, meaning Havila Capella can resume operations from 28th of June, when she will embark on her next voyage along the Norwegian coast”.
Martini also wants to point out that Havila Kystruten has had a good collaboration and good dialogue with the Norwegian Maritime Directorate in this matter.
Great importance to the coastal communities
Havila Capella is moored at the quay in Bergen with crew on board and is ready to receive guests.
“It has been important for us to secure our values, and not least our greatest resource - our employees. We have always believed that we would find a solution and have chosen to keep everyone at work. We are pleased with that decision now. We have crew on board who have shown a great willingness to deal with a demanding situation, and who are now very much looking forward to showing off the best of the Norwegian coast to our guests”, says Martini.
“It is also very important for our company to get Havila Capella back in operation. It is of great importance to the coastal communities and Norwegian value creation. Our social mission along the Norwegian coast contributes to a significant number of jobs, and to Norwegian business and tourism beyond our voyages, in addition to being an important part of the infrastructure along the coast”, says Martini.
Havila Capella will have its first departure from Bergen on Tuesday 28th of June at 20.30.
Background
After Havila Capella was hit by sanctions, the shipping company applied to The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a dispensation to operate the ship. This was granted on 26th of April, and gave Havila Kystruten the possibility to operate the ship for 6 months. At the same time, no clarification was given about dispensation concerning insurance of the ship. An application for exemption from insurance was rejected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 9thof May.
The company has sought to find solutions with the ministries to get Havila Capella back into operation, but this has not proved successful.
“Decisions involving the government, several ministries and top political leaders are quite complicated and take time. We have long thought we were approaching a rapid solution, but our case has not been politically finalized”, says Martini.
“In that matter, it is very gratifying that we have come to a solution based on our own initiatives, in good cooperation with the Norwegian authorities including the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, lawyers and our insurance company, which gives us the opportunity to put Havila Capella back into normal operation”, he concludes.
Topics
Categories
The Havila Voyages is a Norwegian shipping company that sails the classic coastal voyage between Bergen and Kirkenes with the Norwegian coast's most environmentally friendly ships.
The four new ships are loaded with the world's largest battery pack, and can sail for four hours without noise or emissions through vulnerable fjords. The batteries are charged with clean hydropower at shore, and when the batteries are low we switch to natural gas which cuts CO2 by around 25 %.
The hull is specially designed for maximum energy efficiency, and excess heat from cooling water and sea used for heating on board. On the menu are locally made dishes from local producers, and all unnecessary plastic is avoided. We are already exceeding the authorities' requirements for cutting emission, and we have set sail with zero emissions as the future target.
The Havila Voyages is part of the Havila Group that dates back to the 1950s. It all started when the founder, Per Sævik, bought his first fishing boat in his teens. From fishing and herring fishing, Havila is now a group operating in shipping technology, offshore, transport and tourism.
