Havila Castor christened in Ålesund

Six months after starting operations along the Norwegian coast, Havila Castor was officially named in Ålesund on Monday. The ship's godmother is Aurora Sævik, granddaughter of chairman of the board and main shareholder Per Sævik.

“I was incredibly proud and happy when grandfather asked if I wanted to be godmother to Havila Castor”, says Aurora Sævik.

“We, the grandchildren, were allowed to help choose the names of the coastal cruise ships, but I had never imagined standing here today. This will be a life-long memory”.

Havila Castor is named after a star in the constellation Gemini. Pollux, after which Havila Voyages' last ship is named, is the second star in Gemini (the twins), stars which are historically used for navigation at sea and which take ships and crew safely home to port.

“We would have liked to have the twin ship Havila Pollux here today as well, but she will have her well-deserved christening in the course of next year”, says Per Sævik.

“The last week has been important for Havila Voyages as we have now finally christened our first two ships. Now we are looking ahead and are looking forward to Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux starting their operation along the historic coastal route.”

In front

At the beginning of June, Havila Castor sailed into the world heritage Geirangerfjord for the first time. That voyage was made on pure battery power, emission-free and silent. The event took place four years before the authorities' requirement for emission-free ship operations in the world heritage fjords of Norway.

“When Parliament introduced legislation for emission free ships in 2018, many people said that 2026 was too early and completely impossible. We proved by a good margin that it is possible and that puts us at the forefront of development along the Norwegian coast”, says CEO Bent Martini.

Many of the local community made it to Skansekaia to witness the naming ceremony of the coastal cruise ship.

“Ålesund is an important port along the coastal route. In winter, we dock here for several hours, and in the summer and autumn seasons it is the starting point for our voyages in the Geirangerfjord and the Hjørundfjord. That's why we felt it made sense to arrange the naming ceremony here today, and we are delighted that so many people wanted to share the day with us”, says Martini.

“The last few weeks have been hectic for the entire organization as we prepared to carry out these ceremonies, and I am impressed by the effort our employees have put in both at sea and on land”, he concludes.