Havila Castor arrives in Bergen

Havila Voyages` second ship and the second of the world's most environmentally friendly passenger ships, Havila Castor, arrives in Bergen on 5 May.

At the end of April, Havila Kystruten took delivery of its second ship to operate the classic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes, Havila Castor, at the Tersan shipyard in Turkey. Shortly afterwards, the ship started its voyage home to Norway and Bergen. On the journey, the ship has a crew of 60 who prepares the ship for operation, and on Thursday 5^th of May, the ship arrives in Bergen.

“Havila Castor is sailing at good speed after at bunker stop in Cartagena, and is now approaching the English Channel”, says CEO Bent Martini.

“So far, the journey has gone according to plan and as expected, and she will arrive in Bergen during the morning hours Thursday. We look forward to welcoming Havila Castor to Bergen”.

Ships of the future

Havila Castor is identical to the sister ship Havila Capella, which won the «Next Generation Ship Award» in April. The ship has a battery pack of 6.1 MWh and runs on natural gas (LNG). The combination reduces CO2 emissions from the ship by around 30 % and NOX emissions by 90 %.

“It is important for the coastal communities to get Havila Castor in operation, as the world's most environmentally friendly passenger ship. This is also the ship of the future, with solutions meaning we will deliver better on the climate and environmental requirements that were originally in the tender from the Ministry of Transport already on our first voyage”, says Martini.

“Havila Castor will also sail the world heritage emission-free, and we will further reduce our emissions during the contract period, including gradual blending of biogas when this becomes available to a large enough extent”.

Quick turnaround operation

For the next few days, Havila Castor will be located at Bontelabo 2 in Bergen. Here, the ship will be prepared for the first roundtrip on the Norwegian coast starting Tuesday 10^th of May.

“We have the time out of the way to get the ship ready for its maiden voyage, and have put in all the resources we can to do a turnaround operation in record time. With all our skilled employees and suppliers, I am very optimistic that we will solve that challenge”, Martini concludes.

Havila Kystruten welcomes the press to Bontelabo 2 in Bergen to receive Havila Castor on Thursday 5 May. CEO Bent Martini, chairman Per Sævik and the ship's captain Truls Bruland will be available to the press after arrival.

We ask that journalists send an e-mail to Head of Communications Lasse A. Vangstein at lasse.vangstein@havila.no with name, employer and telephone number if they wish to be present on arrival, for us to be able to keep you informed of the exact time of arrival . There will also be an opportunity to come aboard Havila Castor during the day.