Havila won’t finish a single ship before they take over the coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes – NRK

There are only four months left until Havila breaks the Hurtigruten monopoly and begins navigating the classic coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes.

But even as it gets closer, there is still much that is not in place.

Havila was scheduled to commission four new ships. But none of them will be finished in time.

And if you want to book tickets for one of the outputs, you still won’t get them.

There are mainly two things that have gone wrong for Havila. Two of the ships under construction at a Spanish shipyard were never completed because the shipyard went bankrupt.

The other two will not be completed because the shipyard in Turkey is affected by the crown.

– There have been some obstacles here that we couldn’t foresee. Progress at the shipyard has been and is still characterized by the crown situation, CEO Arild Myrvoll in Havila tells NRK.

Probably sails with half capacity

Now all ships will be produced in Turkey.

The first two ships will be delivered at the turn of the year, Havila says. But the last two are only delivered about a year later.

Although there are no boats ready for January 1, Havila rents two boats. The name of these ships is not yet publicly known.

Myrvoll says the corona pandemic makes it demanding to predict how the route between Bergen and Kirkenes will be navigated starting in the New Year.

– Today we sail with reduced capacity. We will follow developments in the future. In our opinion, it is not necessary to increase the capacity.

Much depends on what the world looks like during the New Years, with travel restrictions, etc. As seen today, the route between Bergen and Kirkenes will be navigated at approximately 50 percent capacity.

– But now I’m going to Turkey myself in a week and a half. Then I get a thorough review and want a clearer description of the situation.

– Have you had bad luck with the circumstances?

– Yes, you can say that for sure. There have been some obstacles. But I’m sure it will be good in the end.

– Tett dialogue

The press officer for the Ministry of Transport claims that the government approved a request from Havila to use two replacement vessels in 2021.

– However, the demand situation on the coastal route is highly uncertain at this time and the need for capacity is being assessed when starting a new contract on January 1, 2021.

Secretary of State John-Ragnar Aarset (H) says they are in close dialogue with Havila and Hurtigruten.

– The construction of the new Havila ships is affected by the crisis of the crown. However, it is too early to say anything about the consequences of this. The Ministry expects Havila to deliver a satisfactory offer as a new player on the coastal route.