Havila Norwegian Coast Voyages Start Delayed Until Summer 2021

 

Published: January 28, 2021 - 12:01 AM

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 apologize 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.

Arild Myrvoll continues “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 emphasize 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.”

Havila was awarded a contract by the Norwegian Government to run a cruise/ferry operation along-side Hurtigruten which was the sole provider of Norwegian Coastal Voyages for many years. The Norwegian Government decided to allow Havila to become a direct competitor on the Hurtigruten route.

Havila has faced many challenges which delayed the start of their operations. Their 4 ships were originally expected to be built in Turkey(2) and Spain(2), but when the Spanish Shipyard ran into financial difficulties, it was decided that the entire 4 ships for the new cruise brand would be built in Turkey. Construction had just started on the ships in Spain when the decision was made to focus on the Turkish Shipyard.

Covid-19 has also delayed the delivery of the ships from Turkey. In addition lessened demand on the Norwegian Coastal Route have also added pressure on the new cruise line.

 

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