The first two Havila Voyages ships have been launched

The coastal cruise ships, Havila Castor and Havila Capella, were launched at the Tersan shipyard in Turkey today. Arild Myrvoll, CEO of Havila Voyages, was present as the ships' keels came into contact with salt water for the first time.

He is happy now to see the ships afloat and is looking forward to putting them in operation.

“It will be good to start providing people living along the coast, and tourists, with safe transport and environmentally friendly sailing on the world's most beautiful coastal voyage.”

Streamlining the construction process

Over the last six months, the coronavirus pandemic has affected the shipyard in Turkey and construction of the new coastal ships meaning that the first two ships will not be ready for the new year as originally planned. But Arild Myrvoll says that based on current knowledge, it looks like delivery may take place during the first quarter of 2021.

In order to expedite the construction process as much as possible, despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, the ships have been on land for longer than usual. Because of this, several tasks have been streamlined.

“This means that the work on the ships that have been launched is well underway with regard to plumbing, machinery, electricity and fixtures and fittings.”

As is the Turkish way, the ships are also not painted until last. That is why construction is further on than it might seem.

In anticipation of the new ships, Havila Voyages has received approval for two replacement vessels, but the demand for the coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes is currently very uncertain, and the need for capacity at the start of the new contract on 1 January 2021 is under evaluation.

A lot of interest

The coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions are affecting the entire travel industry and are also making it difficult for Havila Voyages to be specific about what will happen next year.

"But we are pleased to note that there is a lot of interest in Havila Voyages from travel agencies and tour operators. We are in great demand and are looking forward to getting going", says Arild Myrvoll.

When the new ships for Havila Voyages are in place, passengers between Bergen and Kirkenes will be able to sail on ships that run on LNG, cutting CO2 emissions by 25% compared to traditional propulsion, and the ships will also have the world's largest battery packs. This means that we can sail for up to four hours without creating emissions or noise. The ships have 179 spacious cabins with Norwegian interiors.

“We want to showcase the best that Norway has to offer. This gives us good technical solutions for operating the ship and good practical solutions for those travelling with us.”