First naming ceremony on the coastal route in Hammerfest for Havila Polaris
On October 15, 2024, a significant event in maritime history took place: for the first time, a ship was named in Hammerfest. The ceremony coincided with the coastal route that has been running from Trondheim to Hammerfest since 1893. Marianne Sivertsen Næss, the former mayor of Hammerfest and current Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, conducted the ceremony by pouring water from the Geirangerfjord over the hull of the coastal ship from the Havila Kystruten shipping company using a wooden ladle, officially naming it "Polaris."
A historic moment
According to Ola Johannessen, a history enthusiast at Hammerfest Havn, this was the first ship naming ceremony on the Bergen-Kirkenes coastal route in Finnmark. Bent Martini, the managing director of Havila Kystruten, described the naming in Hammerfest as particularly fitting, as Finnmark and Hammerfest hold great significance for the shipping company.
Sustainable naming ceremony
Instead of the traditional champagne bottle, the shipping company opted for an environmentally friendly naming ceremony. Martini explained, "The wooden ladle symbolizes that we must pay attention to both nature and our resources." This underscores the company's commitment to sustainability. With this naming, the fourth coastal cruise ship from Havila Kystruten is now officially in service.
The future
Minister Næss emphasized the necessity for the ships on the coastal route not only to navigate safely but also to promote environmentally friendly solutions: "This ship does exactly that." The four new vessels from the company are equipped with the largest battery packs ever installed on a passenger ship. This enables them to sail "quietly and gently" for up to four hours through sensitive fjords, such as the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Geirangerfjord, without emitting any CO2.
More on Havila Kystruten and Havila Polaris (in German).
Header: © Havila Voyages
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