News -
Havila Polaris start-up delayed
Havila Voyages has postponed the start-up of Havila Polaris but expects a solution to the settlement of debts for its coastal cruise ships in the near future.
The company has been prevented from taking delivery of its completed coastal cruise ship, Havila Polaris, pending legal clarifications and a license from Central Bank of Ireland. The company had hoped to start operating the new ship on 7thof April but has today decided to postpone this until 29th of April.
“The clarifications we have sought and the whole situation have been very complicated and time-consuming. It is regrettable that we are not on target and have to postpone the start-up and two further round-trips with Havila Polaris”, says managing director Bent Martini.
“This is a unique situation. Even the lawyers, the judiciary, lenders and authorities have no experience in this area. This has contributed to our case being delayed longer than anyone expected when we started work on finding a legal solution almost a year ago”.
Martini sees that a solution is now approaching.
“With the time frame we have now been given, we are very optimistic, and very close to reaching a delivery date. At the same time, we believe that starting operations on 7th of April is no longer feasible. We have therefore chosen to postpone the start-up until 29th of April and expect this to be the last delay for Havila Polaris”.
“We understand that postponements and delays create uncertainty. We are also very impatient, and really want to get our completed ship in operation along the historic coastal route as soon as possible”, concludes Martini.
All guests with reservations on Havila Polaris' sailings from Bergen on 7th or 18th of April will be contacted in the near future and offered a move to a later departure date, another of Havila Voyages' ships, or full reimbursement for their journey.
