The coastal cruise ferry Havila Polaris has completed its first major intake of liquefied biogas, receiving 200 cubic metres of fuel from Barents Naturgass at Polarbase in Hammerfest, Norway.
The bunkering marks the beginning of what the company describes as a landmark voyage, during which overall CO₂ emissions are expected to be reduced by more than 90%, illustrating the operational viability of lower-emission coastal shipping with existing vessel technology.
During its upcoming round trip on the Norwegian coastal route, Havila Polaris is scheduled to take on a total of 350 cubic metres of liquefied biogas. The initial supply was delivered in Hammerfest on Wednesday afternoon, November 26th, while the remaining volume was loaded in Bergen by Molgas Energy on Sunday, November 30th.
Havila Voyages’ chief executive, Bent Martini, stated that the operation represented an important milestone for the company and noted that the voyage demonstrates the potential for achieving very low emissions on the coastal route without requiring technical modifications to the vessels.