Press release -
Round trip with Havila Capella canceled
Havila Kystruten has been forced to cancel the round trip Bergen - Kirkenes - Bergen, which was planned to start on 12 April 2022, due to the still unresolved situation related to the ship's insurance coverage.
Passengers on board will receive assistance for their return trip home as soon as possible, and all travelers will get a refund for their voyage with Havila Capella.
Worked for a possible solution
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed late Wednesday night that the sanction provision did not preclude normal operation and thus also insurance for Havila Capella. After reviewing the case one more time, a counter-message was received from the authorities on Thursday afternoon.
“First and foremost, we are very disappointed that there was no solution, and that the authorities made a counter decision this afternoon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has concluded that a liability insurance is not compatible with the sanction provisions”, says CEO Bent Martini.
“We must accept that, and we think it's terribly sad for all our passengers who had been looking forward to a nice Easter trip on board Havila Capella. When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came with its confirmation yesterday, we thought we would be allowed to sail again, but unfortunately this is not a reality now”, he continues.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in its original reply letter that Havila Voyages is responsible for the operation and financing of the ship and that the ship should thus not be affected by adopted sanctions.
Will be sailing again
Havila Voyages will now look at solutions to get Havila Capella back into operation as soon as possible.
“We will now continue the dialogue with the authorities, insurance companies and finally refinancing of Havila Capella. We will sail again”, says Martini.
“Now we are looking forward to the takeover of Havila Castor, with which we plan to start sailing from Bergen on 10th of May. With a solution for Capella and Castor in operation, we will be well equipped for a glorious summer along the Norwegian coast. Despite the challenges we have encountered along the way, I choose to look positively going forward. We look forward to showing our fantastic ships to even more passengers in the time to come”, says Martini.
Passengers on board will as soon as possible receive assistance for their return journeys before the crew closes the ship, which will be stored in Bergen until further notice.
“I would like to personally thank all our patient passengers who have waited as long as us for a decision in this case, and we really regret that we cannot complete the trip as planned. I would also like to thank all employees and partners who have stood by day and night to solve this challenging situation”, concludes Martini.
Open customer service center
The customer service center for Havila Kystruten is open on Thursday 14 April until 17.00 and good Friday from kl. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The customer center can be reached on telephone + 47 70 00 70 70.
The company will contact all passengers who were booked on the canceled trip.
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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.
