Havila Kystruten`s newest ship, Havila Castor, made history in the Geirangerfjord – operating the first zero emission cruise through the world heritage fjord. The ship is packed with sustainable solutions from HAV Group.
HAV Group's subsidiaries HAV Design, HAV Hydrogen, Norwegian Electric Systems and Norwegian Greentech have all contributed to «Havila Castor».
“We have been involved in developing and delivering a number of solutions that together enable Havila Castor to sail the most environmentally friendly voyage along the Norwegian coast,” says Gunnar Larsen, CEO at HAV Group ASA.
Designing the ships of the future
HAV Design has designed this top modern ship, and has gone through every little detail when developing Havila Castor and her sister vessels to make the most environmentally friendly coastal cruise ships along the Norwegian coast.
“We have focused on developing a ship with good sized cabins, wide corridors, large outside walkaround, spacious and comfortable facilities with large windows where guests can relax and enjoy the voyage along the beautiful Norwegian coast. We have quite large stabilizer fins on the ship’s side that can be driven in and out, to give people a good experience with significantly less movement”, says Arve Helsem Leine, Design Manager for HAV Design.
The ship contains a number of technological innovations to ensure the lowest possible operating costs and emissions. Highly efficient hull design, developed and tested with data simulator-based design which, among other things, takes into account actual weather, wind and wave conditions, has resulted in a ship that is significantly more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than the requirements in the contract with the Norwegian Government to sail the coastal route from Bergen to Kirkenes.
“We have a fantastic ship that behaves like a dream at sea. This is a state-of-the-art ship that is easy to handle and manouevre”, says Truls Bruland, captain of Havila Castor.
“The requirements in the tender from the Ministry of Transport, was that there should be a 25% reduction in emissions, but we have managed more than that. We have optimized every detail we can to get the best possible result. A highly modern and efficient heat recovery system which makes hot water for the guests to shower and wash their hands by the recovered heat from the main engines cooling water and exhaust. In addition there are enough hot water for a modern generator to produce electricity.
We are proud to have developed and Designed a ship that gives Guests and Crew on board a safe and secure voyage with an amazing experience along the Norwegian coast on the world’s most environmentally friendly coastal ship”, adds Arve Helsem Leine.
Fully electric and zero emissions
Havila Castor used battery powered propulsion only for three hours this Thursday.
“We spent just over 60 % of the battery's capacity on this voyage and that demonstrates to us that the goal of four hours on battery clearly is achievable. With even more testing and adaptation of all energy use on board, we will eventually be able to sail the entire world heritage emission-free without major challenges”, says Bent Martini , CEO of Havila Kystruten.
Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) is the system integrator of Havila Castor and has delivered everything from energy design to smart control. Specifically, this means the integrated navigation system Raven INS, generators, complete switchboard system, transformers, frequency converters for thrusters, energy management system and one of the world’s largest battery systems for the ship.
“We are proud that the delivery from NES has enabled Havila Kystruten to sail fully electric and entirely without emissions in and out of the fjord”, says Rune Holmedal, Product Manager Energy Motion at NES.
Highly innovative water treatment systems
Norwegian Greentech (NGT) is a supplier of sustainable systems for clean water, and they have delivered their highly innovative ballast water treatment system to Havila Castor. NGT's BWMS combines the smallest footprint with low power consumption, installation flexibility and intuitive operation. Unique system features along with automatic control of the UV dose ensure higher energy performance, low life-cycle costs and easy maintenance.
Future technology
The electrical system is also prepared for future hydrogen fuel cells to add green and clean power to the ship.
HAV Hydrogen’s energy system is a spin-off from the groundbreaking FreeCo2ast project, which is currently developing a high-capacity hydrogen energy system that can be retrofitted onboard Havila Kystruten's coastal cruise ships.
The FreeCo2ast project is supported by the Norwegian Research Council, Innovation Norway and Enova.
Major project partners are amongst others Havila Kystruten and HAV Group's subsidiaries HAV Design, Norwegian Electric Systems and HAV Hydrogen, in addition to the research institutions Sintef Ocean and Prototech.
“The hydrogen-based energy system developed in the FreeCO2ast project can make Havila Castor, which is already one of the most environmentally friendly coastal cruise ships, even more environmentally friendly in the future,” says Kristian Osnes, project manager for the FreeCO2ast Project and managing director at HAV Hydrogen.
Zero emission - four years ahead of time
The Norwegian government demands that all ships that sail into the world heritage fjords have to be emission-free from 2026. Four years before the resolution takes effect, and with one of the world's largest battery packs, Havila Castor has met the government’s requirements.
This is just the beginning of a Sustainable Future at Sea.
Watch the historic sailing into the beautiful Geirangerfjord here: