Press release -
Havila Voyages avoids penalties
The Norwegian Ministry of Transport has withdrawn its notice of a fine for delayed start-up of the coastal cruise ship Havila Polaris due to force majeure. “A relief”, says managing director Bent Martini of Havila Voyages.
Havila Voyages has signed a contract with the Ministry of Transport to operate 4 out of 11 ships on the historic coastal route Bergen - Kirkenes - Bergen. The company has encountered many unforeseen challenges in the start-up, and in January the Ministry of Transport announced that they would impose a fine on Havila Voyages due to the delayed start-up of Havila Polaris. The fine was set at the equivalent sum that Havila Voyages receives as compensation for operating one ship on the coastal route.
“We received the notice with a heavy heart. With that fine, we would in principle operate one of the ships we already have in operation without receiving any of the agreed payment from the authorities”, says managing director Bent Martini.
Havila Voyages subsequently sent a letter to the Ministry of Transport, requesting the case to be reconsidered. The company referred to force majeure, and consequently requested that the fine be withdrawn.
“More than anything else, we want to be in full operation along the Norwegian coast with all four ships, as planned. Unfortunately, we have been hit by many unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances, most recently in that we cannot take delivery of a completed ship such as Havila Polaris, due to the sanction’s regulations”, says Martini.
“These are the same sanction regulations that the Norwegian authorities have introduced. For that reason, we referred to force majeure as we believe we should not be penalized for a delay that is completely beyond our control”.
On Friday 14th of April, the response came from the Ministry of Transport, which agreed with Havila Voyages' assessment and thus withdrew the notice of a conventional fine.
"It is a relief for us that we are not being punished for something we cannot control. At the same time, we operate with small margins when we are not in the desired full operation along the Norwegian coast, and a conventional fine of that magnitude would make us more vulnerable in terms of liquidity”, explains Martini.
“This is one less concern for us. Now we look ahead and continue the work to resolve complicated legal processes to be able to take delivery of Havila Polaris and eventually Havila Pollux”.
Further postponed start-up for Havila Polaris
As previously reported, there are still unresolved issues related to the sanction regulations, which means that the start-up for Havila Polaris is now set for 21stof May 2023.
“The processes we are involved in are complicated and, not least, very time-consuming. We feel like we are banging our heads against the wall and when we think something will be resolved, new challenges come our way. This is groundbreaking work for everyone involved, and there is naturally a fear of doing something that is against the regulations”, explains Martini.
“Therefore, out of consideration for our guests, the coastal communities, and partners, we have no other choice but to postpone an additional round-trip for Havila Polaris. It is not an easy decision, and it is something we do not want to do at all. At the same time, we have no alternative. We must once again be patient and hope that the solutions we seek will soon present themselves”, concludes Martini.
Everyone with tickets for the departure on 10th of May will be contacted by Havila Voyages as soon as possible with an offer to move to another journey with Havila Capella or Havila Castor, a later departure with Havila Polaris or a full refund.
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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.
