Havila Capella ferry

Havila Capella ferry current position

Havila Capella ferry current location is at North East Atlantic Ocean (coordinates 62.47572 N / 6.15236 E) cruising en route to Kirkenes. The AIS position was reported 3 minutes ago.

Current Position

Specifications of Havila Capella ferry

Year of build2021  /  Age: 3
Flag state Norway
BuilderTersan Shipyard (Yalova, Turkey)
ClassNorwegian coastal cruiseferry
Ferry route / homeportsBergen-Kirkenes
Building costEUR 124 million / USD 131 million
Speed16 kn / 30 km/h / 18 mph
Length (LOA)124 m / 407 ft
Beam (width)22 m / 72 ft
Gross Tonnage15776 gt
Passengers680
Crew76
Cars9
Seats172
Beds468
Decks9
Cabins179
Decks with cabins4
Sister-shipsHavila Castor, Havila Polaris, Havila Pollux
Christened byHege Saevik Rabben
OwnerHavila Kystruten (via HK Ship V AS)
OperatorHavila Shipping (via Havila Voyages)

Havila Capella ferry Review

Review of Havila Capella ferry

The 2021-built MS Havila Capella cruise ship is the first Norwegian coastal cruiseferry operated by the Norwegian travel brand Havila Voyages (fully-owned subsidiary of HAVILA KYSTRUTEN). The shipowner is HK Ship V AS (also fully-owned by Havila Kystruten).

The boat has max capacity 680 passengers (plus 76 staff/crew) and cargo capacity 9 cars and 190 pallets (40 of which can be transported by freezing or cooling). The vessel was inaugurated in 2021 (December 12th/Maiden Voyage) and operates year-round on Norway's coastal ferry route Bergen-Kirkenes (crossing time 7 days) stopping at 34 ports along the itinerary. This route is served by a total of 11 ships (7x by Hurtigruten, 4x by Havila) and the ferry service is government-subsidized.

The vessel IMO number 9865570) is currently Norway-flagged (MMSI 257753000) and registered in Bergen.

Decks and Cabins

As cruise ferry, Havila Capella staterooms (179 total) offer 468 berths (lower and upper beds), in addition to the ship's 172 seats (for day passengers). All passenger cabins are air-conditioned, with carpet flooring, ensuite bathrooms (washbasin, WC-toilet, glass shower, mirrored cabinets, hairdryer), HDTV (wall-mounted), multiple USB ports, free WiFi, bedside tables, wall-mounted reading lamps, wardrobe, writing table with chair, 2-seater couch, electronic safe box (in the closet). The ferry company provides bed linens, towels and toiletries.

The boat has 9 decks, of which 6 are passenger-accessible and 4 with cabins.

Some staterooms are wheelchair-accessible (adapted for disabled passengers and people with reduced mobility). The cruise ship also offers "pet-friendly" cabins (with linoleum flooring). Passenger cabins are inside and outside, in both economy and luxury categories. Luxury cabins are oceanview, larger-sized, with lower fixed beds (a double convertible to twins), double sofabed (or 2-seater sofa), larger wardrobe (slide-opening), bonus amenities (mini-refrigerator, tea-coffee machine).

The ship additionally has 172 recliners (aircraft-type seats) in a Reserved Seating Lounge available for pre-booking.

Disabled passengers or those requiring specific assistance should visit the Lobby's Reception/Information Desk. All passengers must vacate their staterooms 30 min prior to port arrival.

Havila Capella ferry ship (Havila Voyages)

Shipboard dining and entertainment options

As facilities, the Havila Capella ship offers:

  • Lobby Hall (Reception Desk, Luggage Lockers, Gangways/embarkation-debarkation)
  • Main Dining Room (MDR) Restaurant with menus featuring traditional Norwegian food specialties prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
  • Cafe Bar (Cafeteria / Patisserie / Buffet Restaurant)
  • Panorama Bar Lounge is the cruise ship's observation lounge has comfortable recliners, floor-ceiling windows, forward-facing slanted windows, glass roof, full bar service.
  • Reserved Seating Lounge offers comfortable reclining/Pullman seats and bar service.
  • Duty-Free Shop is retail selling alcohol (liquors, wines, beers, also Norwegian brands), tobaccos, brand perfumes and cosmetics, sunglasses, designer watches and jewelry, clothes and accessories, electronics and gadgets, toys, confectionery, gifts and souvenirs.
  • A La Carte Restaurant serves complimentary meals to passengers booked in Junior Suites (Breakfast-only) and Presidential Suites (Breakfast-Lunch-Diner).
  • Conference Hall is a venue where is provided information about the cruise ship's itinerary, ports, Norwegian culture and history.
  • Bow Lounge with floor-ceiling windows and access to Bow ViewPoint (forward-facing outdoor terrace).
  • ATM / cash machine is located next to the Information Desk (Lobby Reception).
  • WiFi coverage is shipwide.

The cruise ship has two Gyms (fitness areas with sea views) fitted with Cybex machines are arranged in front of the window so that travellers can train and watch the passing scenery at the same time. The Gym's fitness equipment includes free weights, weight benches, treadmills, exercise bikes.

An Outdoor Deck has 2 Jacuzzis. Passenger-accessible Sun Decks offer plenty of open-air spaces, including a sunbathing area (bow location) with loungers. The Cloakroom area (with a Sauna Room) is attached to two jacuzzis.

On top deck are located the Navigation Bridge and Helideck (aft-located helipad / helicopter landing area used in cases of emergency). Large parts of the ship's top-deck are covered by solar panels generating some of the onboard used electricity.

Emergency instructions are displayed in all staterooms as well as on all TV screens and assembly points (muster stations). Life jackets are issued at the assembly stations. In cases of emergency, the use of elevators/passenger lifts is forbidden. Smoking throughout the ship is forbidden.

Havila Capella ferry ship (Havila Voyages)

Car deck

MS Havila Capella has only 1 garage deck (for cars and wheeled/palleted cargo). Follows a list of cargo deck-related safety procedures:

  • Apply handbrake and place the vehicle in park or 1st gear position. Switch off the ignition, alarm, electrical equipment, headlights. Gas cylinders, if any, must be switched off. Lock the vehicle.
  • From your car take only valuables and essential hand baggage.
  • Access to the cargo deck during the voyage is prohibited.
  • Wait for the onboard announcement before returning to your vehicle.
  • In order to avoid air pollution, don't start the engine until instructed.

Havila cruise itinerary/"Norwegian Coastal Express" ferry route

Next is the cruise ship itinerary map showing the 12-day "Norwegian Coastal Express" itinerary/ferry route operated by both Hurtigruten and Havila Voyages (since 2021).

Havila-Hurtigruten ferry route (Norwegian Coastal Express cruise ship itinerary map)

The list of all ports along Havila's northbound "Norwegian Coastal Express" ferry route includes Bergen (turnaround port/homeport), Alesund, Floro, Geiranger (Stranda), Maloy (Vagsoy), Molde, Torvik (Heroy, Leinoya Island), Kristiansund, Rorvik (Vikna), Trondheim, Bodo, Bronnoysund (Bronnoy), Nesna, Ornes (Meloy), Sandnessjoen (Alstahaug), Stamsund (Vestvagoy Island), Svolvaer (Vagan, Austvagoya Island), Trollfjorden (Hadsel), Finnsnes (Lenvik), Harstad (Hinnoya Island), Risoyhamn (Andoy Island), Skjervoy, Sortland (Langoya Island), Stokmarknes (Hadseloya Island), Tromso, Berlevag, Hammerfest, Honningsvag (Mageroya Island, Nordkapp / North Cape), Kjollefjord (Lebesby), Mehamn (Gamvik), Oksfjord (Loppa), Batsfjord, Vardo (Vardoya Island), Kirkenes (turnaround port/homeport).

Since 2021, the shipowner Havila Kystruten (subsidiary of the 2002-founded Havila Shipping ASA, headquartered in Fosnavag, Norway) together with Hurtigruten provides regularly-scheduled and government-subsidized Norwegian Coastal ferry service between homeports Bergen and Kirkenes. Havila Kystruten's fleet consists of 4 sisterships (same-designed cruiseferries) which were built in pairs by two shipbuilders - Barreras Shipyard in Vigo Spain (Polaris and Pollux) and Tersan Shipyard in Yalova Turkey (Capella and Castor).

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Havila Capella ferry Wiki

On March 23, 2018, Norway's Ministry of Transportation and Communications split the "Norwegian Coastal Express" ferry service between Hurtigruten and the Norwegian company Havila Shipping (Havila Kystruten Ltd). The Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen route is operated by Hurtigruten since 1893. Norwegian Government's annual subsidy for this regularly scheduled passenger shipping service is NOK 788 million (~USD 100M).

Havila Capella cruise ship construction (Havila Voyages)

In late-December 2018 was announced that Enova (Norwegian government agency) will provide NOK 88 million (USD 10,1M) as financial support for Havila Kystruten's newbuilds (or NOK 22 million per vessel). Havila ships are from the Havyard-923 series and designed specifically for the "Norwegian Coastal Express" service. The four newbuilds are LNG-powered hybrids (alternative battery power) and passenger capacity 640 (each). The vessels were designed by "Havyard Ship Technology" (subsidiary of Havyard Group - Norwegian maritime company established in 2000, owns Loland Verft in Leirvik Norway).

Rolls-Royce Marine was contracted to provide Havila ships' power plants and propulsion units. The equipment includes 2x dual-fuel engines, 4x Bergen gas engines (two 9-cylinder, plus two 6-cylinder, all IMO Tier 3 compliant), 2x LNG tanks (with bunkering systems), 2x LNG fuel systems, control and safety systems. Ship's propulsion is also Rolls-Royce manufactured and includes 2x Azipull thrusters (with Permanent Magnet drive motors), stabilizers (Neptune 200), tunnel thrusters (allowing slimmer hull shape, better energy efficiency low noise-vibration levels). LNG fuel systems are separate, custom-designed, and serving both machine rooms (front and aft).

In late-February 2019, the Candian stock-listed company Corvus Energy was contracted by NES (Norwegian Electric Systems) for delivery and installation of the world's largest ship battery-package ESS (Energy Storage System / air-cooled system with patented single-cell thermal isolation). Orca ESS (battery pack/weight 86 tons) has capacity 6,1 MWh/6100 kW per hour (double the capacity of currently largest battery-packed/electric ferries) and allows 4 hours of "silent sailing". Battery power (6,1 MW) is combined with hybrid gas-electric propulsion. The powerplant consists of 4x LNG-powered marine engines (per vessel) with combined output 7,76 MW.

Another modern marine technology is the heat recovery system that also uses seawater for cooling. All Havila cruise ships are also fitted with shoreside-power capabilities, allowing them to use electricity from the city's power grid (while docked/berthed in all seaports with such capabilities) instead of running the main engines/generators.

In early-April 2019, Havila Kystruten and Kongsberg Maritime (ferry equipment's supplier) signed a 10-year contract (NOK 150 million / USD 17,6M) for "Power-by-the-Hour" service for the new cruiseferries. This Kongsberg service was introduced in 2017 with NorLines (Norwegian coastal shipping and logistics company).

  • By the Havila-Kongsberg agreement, the shipowner Havila handed to Kongsberg the responsibility for the vessel's service planning and performance.
  • The shipowner pays a fixed charge per hour of operation per vessel. Kongsberg monitors in real-time the equipment from land-based control centers (collecting data from shipboard sensors) where engineers can remotely access the equipment and carry out services or send out service staff to assist.
  • The "Power-by-the-Hour" package also includes the ship's planned drydock-wetdock maintenance. Kongsberg's equipment package includes propulsion system (Azipull thrusters with Permanent Magnet drive motor), tunnel thrusters, stabilizers, and LNG systems (including four Rolls Royce-made Bergen C26-33L gas engines).

The Havila Capella vessel (IMO number 9865570, hull/yard number NB1094) was launched/floated out from drydock on September 6, 2020, at Tersan Shipyard (in Yalova, Turkey, approx 90 km / 55 mi south of Istanbul). The special ceremony was attended by Arild Myrvoll (Havila Kystruten's CEO).

The ship's namesake is the 2021-built Travelmarvel Capella riverboat (operated by APT Travel/AmaWaterways).

The cruiseferry Capella was delivered to Havila Kystruten on November 3, 2021, and scheduled to start operations on December 12th (Maiden Voyage/postponed from Dec 1st), leaving out of Bergen. The boat left Turkey (Port Yalova) on November 9th. The repositioning voyage to Norway included a stop (for bunkering) in Port Escombreras/Cartagena Spain (Nov 16th) and ended in Bergen on Nov 24th.

Havila Capella was officially christened on November 8, 2022, in Alesund Norway. The naming ceremony was led by godmother Hege Saevik Rabben (Havila Group's Board Member).