Havila Voyages has confirmed that the first two ships in its fleet, Havila Castor and Havila Capella, have been delayed and will be setting sail in Summer 2021. The ships were due to commence operations early in 2021.
The ships are now expected to be delivered to Norway from the Tersan Shipyard in Turkey at the end of May or early June. It will then take several weeks to prepare them for operation.
Arild Myrvoll, CEO Havila Voyages has said “I’m deeply disappointed that the ships cannot sail sooner and would like to apologise to those guests and employees who were hoping to sail with us before then.
“Sadly, the on-going situation with Coronavirus has delayed delivery of some fixtures and fittings and also led to fewer workers being able to work on-site at the Tersan Shipyard.
“In any other year, a delay of any length would prove very challenging. However, with the current travel restrictions to and within Norway, we do not anticipate strong demand until the Summer, by which time we expect to be sailing.
“It is however important to emphasise that the Coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing, and the new delivery schedule is based on the current situation. We will of course continue to monitor the situation. We are incredibly excited about the launch of Havila Voyages and look forward to welcoming guests on-board later this summer.”
The company are currently contacting those who have made affected bookings.
Havila Voyages is building environmentally friendly passenger ships to sail on the Norwegian coastal route between Bergen-Kirkenes.
The first two ships to be put into operation are Havila Castor and Havila Capella, both of which will offer 179 cabins.
The ships will operate using the world’s largest battery packs and can sail for several hours both without emissions and noise.
Havila Kystruten is a family-owned, Norwegian shipping company with its main base in Fosnavåg on the Norwegian coast.
