During an official ceremony at the Tersan shipyard in Turkey on Tuesday, August 1st, Havila Voyages received the delivery of its second pair of Norwegian coastal cruise ferries - Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux. The Norway-flagged Havila Voyages is a shipping company that now owns four new ships to serve the Bergen-Kirkenes route year-round.
Over the years, many employees of Havila Voyages have actively participated in and contributed to the construction process of the ships in Turkey. This effort was considered significant by the company's management.
Havila Polaris is set to begin its operations from Bergen on August 17th, followed closely by Havila Pollux on August 23rd, both starting from the Tersan Shipyard in Turkey.
To finance its coastal fleet and release the security held by the original financing partner, Havila Voyages obtained the required licenses earlier this year. They managed to secure the necessary financing by raising EUR 305 million from HPS Investment Partners LLC, an investment firm. Additionally, the shipping company's largest owners and investors raised EUR 65 million in additional equity, and Havila Holding AS provided a loan of EUR 20 million.
The new ships, Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux, like the first pair of existing sisterships - Havila Capella and Havila Castor, have energy-efficient hull designs tailored for the varying conditions along the Norwegian coast. The vessels are equipped with a 6.1 megawatt-hours (MWh) battery pack, enabling them to operate emission-free for up to 4 hours. This enables them to visit environmentally sensitive areas like the UNESCO site, Geirangerfjorden, silently and without emissions.
Their propulsion system is a hybrid solution that combines battery packs with liquefied natural gas (LNG) power. The battery packs can be charged while docked using clean Norwegian power, leading to a reduction of up to 35% in CO2 emissions and up to 90% in local emissions (NOx and SOx) compared to traditional fossil fuel-powered ships. This makes Havila Voyage's ships the most environmentally friendly vessels to operate on the coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes.
The company emphasizes its commitment to climate, environment, and sustainability, surpassing the requirements set out in its contract with the Ministry of Transport. The ships are also designed to accommodate emission-free fuel alternatives such as hydrogen and ammonia, and with current technology, a gradual addition of biogas will further reduce CO2 emissions.
In addition to reduced emissions, the ships boast features like heat recovery from the sea and cooling water to warm up the ships and onboard water, as well as a food concept that includes locally sourced ingredients. The onboard menu changes during the voyage to reflect the regions the coastal route ships sail through.