Press release -
Havila Castor sets off on her maiden voyage
Havila Voyages’ second ship, Havila Castor, set off on Tuesday evening on her first round voyage along the classic Norwegian coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes.
At 20.30 on Tuesday 10 May, Havila Castor left the Jektevik terminal in Bergen and headed north towards Kirkenes. Havila Castor is Havila Voyages’ second ship operating on the coastal route.
“This is a big day for Havila Voyages. A fantastic team of employees and suppliers have been working day and night since Havila Castor arrived in Bergen last week to get the ship ready for today, and they have passed the test with flying colours”, says CEO Bent Martini.
“We would never have managed this demanding exercise without everyone doing their utmost and even a little more. Participating in a turnaround operation of this scale and being able to deliver in such a short time is completely unique and everyone involved should be very proud of themselves.”
Havila Castor, together with her sister ship Havila Capella, is a state-of-the-art ship, with technical features that make her the most environmentally friendly ship that has ever sailed the classic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes. The ship's propulsion is a combination of natural gas (LNG) and a battery pack of 6.1 megawatt hours (MWh), the world's largest battery pack on a passenger ship. Havila Voyages has invested around NOK 500 million to make the ships as environmentally friendly as possible with the technology available.
“Delivering on our climate and environmental promises is important to us. Figures from Havila Capella's previous sailings show that we have cut CO2 emissions by more than 30% in operations so far, and we will continue to work on further reductions” says Martini.
Among other things, future blending of biogas will reduce emissions even more.
Next month, Havila Castor will be writing history.
“On Thursday 2 June, Havila Castor will be the first ever passenger ship to sail into the Geirangerfjord purely on battery, silently and emission-free. That is four years before the Norwegian government's requirement for this type of sailing in our world heritage fjord and we are proud that we have already achieved this.” says Martini.
New and modern
Havila Voyages’ new coastal cruise ships are decorated with Norwegian furniture in a classic Nordic design. The food on board reflects the areas you sail through, and our guests can enjoy the beautiful Norwegian coast through large windows that let in nature and show off the changing weather and light. In addition, passengers will sleep well in large and modern cabins.
“All of our accommodation is spacious and the external cabins that we have most of, have large windows so you can enjoy the view. The beds on board are comfortable so when sailing with us you should also sleep well”, says Martini.
“The food you get on our ships should be an important part of the total experience of travelling with us, with locally produced ingredients from suppliers along the coast. It contributes to local value creation and gives our passengers a completely different culinary experience.” Martini concludes.
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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.
