Press release -
Havila Polaris delivery delayed
The Norwegian coastal route ship Havila Polaris has been delayed, pending clarification regarding the settlement of debts. The latest announcement follows a positive ruling in the "High Court of Justice" earlier in December. This means that Havila Polaris' first four round trips from Bergen will be cancelled.
Havila Voyages was successful in its case concerning the original leasing financing of its coastal cruise ships last week and is now awaiting clearance for the settlement of debts to the original financing partner before the shipping company can take over Havila Polaris.
“The building of Havila Polaris at the Tersan shipyard in Turkey is complete, and we could have brought the ship home in time for start-up on schedule on 29thof December”, says managing director Bent Martini.
The shipping company cannot take delivery of Havila Polaris pending clearance of a legal settlement to the blocked account, in line with the sanction rules.
“We have to wait until delivery can take place in line with the regulations. While we would like to start operating earlier, there is no alternative if we wish to avoid a further legal dispute. Therefore, we have not yet been able to bring Havila Polaris home”, explains Martini.
“It is expected that we will get clarification within the next few weeks. We will work on this through the Christmas period and into the new year, and both hope and expect a solution during January”.
This means that the first four planned round trips on Havila Polaris, departing from Bergen on 29th of December 2022 and 9th, 20thand 31st of January 2023, will be cancelled.
“This is deeply unfortunate for the Ministry of Transport by whom we are contracted, our customers, partners, the coastal communities, and our employees, but in a year filled with challenges we could never have foreseen, we have learned to take such setbacks head on”, says Martini.
“We hope for understanding from all concerned. This is not a desirable situation, but it is beyond our control as it is important for us to stay within the legislation. We have done everything in our power to get Havila Polaris home in time for the planned start-up, but the legal process is taking longer than both our legal advisers and we could expect.”
Everyone who has booked a cruise on the affected departures will be contacted by Havila Voyages with an offer to move the trip to another ship, or to a later date. Passengers will also be given the option to cancel their booking free of charge.
Wants immediate delivery
Havila Voyages has set a deadline for the delivery of Havila Polaris a little over halfway through January in order to start the route from Bergen on 11th of February 2023.
“We will not give up and will now do everything we can to take delivery of Havila Polaris as soon as possible, to avoid further cancellations”, says Martini.
“There will not be an early Christmas holiday for any of us, and we will come back with an update on progress as soon as we have something new to report”, he 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.
