Eco-friendly hybrid-powered cruise vessel, Havila Capella, has begun its maiden voyage , Norwegian shipping company Havila Voyages informed .
To remind, the vessel is part of Havila’s contract with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport for the construction of four environmentally-friendly vessels that will operate on the Bergen-Kirkenes coastal route.
Embarking on its maiden voyage, Havila Capella became the first new ship on this route in eighteen years.
In November, the company took delivery of this cruise ship that uses liquified natural gas (LNG) fuel and battery power for the propulsion and features two azimuth propulsion thrusters aft and two tunnel bow thrusters fore.
Havila Capella will feature Kongsberg Maritime’s (KM) engine and thruster package. Under the contract , KM will deliver a total of 16 Bergen gas engines, which apply variable turbo geometry to provide an optimal response at all speeds.
CEO of Havila Voyages, Bent Martini, said they are 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 December 2021 is a historic day both for Havila Voyages and for the coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes”, Martini added.
According to Havila, the company spent around NOK 500 million (about $55.18 million) to make the ships environmentally friendly. The plug-in hybrid ships have the world’s largest battery packs with a 6.1 MWh capacity weighing 86 tons.
Together with several other measures undertaken by the company, the ships are said to cut NOx emissions by around 90% and CO2 emissions by around 25%.