NORWAY: Havila Voyages start sailing the traditional coastal route from Bergen on December 1. 2021
Havila Capella is delivered to Havila Voyages, and soon the first of four state of the art vessels for the new ship owner Havila Voyages will start its sailing towards the Norwegian coast.
The ship will start its’ sailings on the traditional coastal route from Bergen on 1 December. The CEO of Havila Voyages, Bent Martini, says this is a day of joy.
"We are many who have waited a long time for this, and now the first ship is finally in our hands and we will start preparing for setting sail towards Norway."
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 for four hours you can sail 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 target.
Hectic start-up of large hotel
To make the final preparation more efficient, both workers from the yard and subcontractors will be involved in parts of and the entire voyage to Bergen. In addition, Havila Voyages has its own employees who start work on preparing the ship for traffic along the Norwegian coast. When the ship arrives in Bergen, even more people will be on board to familiarize themselves and get ready for the first sailing. Bent Martini says it will be hectic days for many.
"Havila Capella is a large hotel with 179 cabins, several restaurants and large common areas that will be made ready in a very short time in addition to crew and hotel employees to get to know the ship, systems and each other. But we have got off to a good start already, and we are confident that this will go well."
He himself and several others from the administration will also establish a temporary office on board the ship when it arrives in Norway.
"We do this both because we need to have short distances, because we can be helpful and give an extra hand and of course also because this is something we want to be a part of. It is of course a special event to take part in, when starting up the first ship in the largest tourism investment we have seen along the coast."
Sharing glimpses of Havila Capella on her voyage to Norway
The plan is that the first round trip Bergen-Kirkenes will depart from Bergen on Wednesday 1 December.
Then the passengers get a first encounter with a ship. The ship’s food and interior reflect the coast they travel through, the cabins are large, common areas are tailored to enjoy the view - as for example glass roofs to the northern lights sky and midnight sun and a long, outdoor promenade perfect for a walk on the sea.
Martini says he is looking forward to showing the ship to people along the coast and to the passengers who will travel with her.
"We are really looking forward to get Havila Capella into service, and on the journey from Turkey to Norway we will post movies and photos on social media where you can meet ships and crew and get several sneak peeks on board."
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Environmentally friendly from the start
Even before the ship enters service, the coast and nature will benefit from the environmentally friendly ships of the Havila Voyages.
The ship stays at the quay for a couple of weeks in Bergen. Then the ship is operated by the batteries on board and clean hydropower.
"It gives zero emissions and no smoke that settles over Bergen city center. And that is just the beginning of Havila Voyages's history with environmentally friendly voyages along the coast where we with the world's largest battery pack on board can go without noise and emissions for up to four hours".
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