On Sunday, December 12, Havila Capella embarked on her maiden voyage and became the first new ship on the Bergen (Norway)-Kirkenes (Norway) route in 18 years.
Bent Martini (Havila Voyages' CEO) said they were "very happy to finally cast off and get the very first experience of the Norwegian coast and become an integral part of everyday traffic which forms part of the lifeblood of the coast."
“As we have established a new shipping company and built the first new ship in eighteen years with three more new ships in store, I think we should dare to say that the 12.12.21 is a historic day both for Havila Voyages and for the coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes. ”
The new coastal ferries to Havila Voyages are furnished and decorated in a Nordic style. The onboard menu mirrors the coast travellers sail through, and the vessel has large windows to let Arctic views.
Havila Capella has been tailored to modern tastes with bigger cabins in a contemporary Scandinavian style.
Havila Voyages spent ~NOK 500 million (USD 55 million) to make the vessels environmentally friendly. The plug-in hybrid ferries have the largest battery packs in the world designed for passenger ships. They are 86-ton and have a 6.1-megawatt-hour capacity, equivalent to 600 top-of-the-range Teslas.
“The batteries allow us to sail for four hours without noise and emissions, and we can sail quietly and sustainably through world heritage fjords and pristine nature.
The battery packs are just one of several measures that mean that our ships cut NOx emissions by around 90 per cent and CO2 emissions by around 25 per cent. The food concept on board with no buffets and where guests are personally served at their tables for all meals also means that Havila Voyages will cut food waste by a total of 60 tonnes per year."