Havila Voyages wins sustainability award for third consecutive year

The Kreuzfahrt Guide Award recognises the Norwegian coastal cruise company's emission-reducing technology and long-term decarbonisation strategy 

Havila Voyages has received the 2026 Kreuzfahrt Guide Award in the Sustainability category, marking the Norwegian company's third consecutive win following awards in 2024 and 2025.

The jury particularly recognised the technology used across Havila's four ships to progressively reduce emissions on the Norwegian coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes.

Up to four hours on electric power

Each of Havila's four ships is equipped with a 6.1-megawatt-hour battery system. This allows the vessels to operate on electric power for up to four hours, without local emissions or engine noise, including when travelling through sensitive environments such as Norway's UNESCO World Heritage fjords.

When LNG is used in combination with the battery-hybrid propulsion system, Havila says CO₂ emissions are around 37% lower than with conventional propulsion systems on the route.

But the company is already looking beyond its current technology.

In autumn 2025, Havila Polaris completed a round trip using liquefied biogas (LBG). According to the company, this reduced actual well-to-wake CO₂ emissions on the voyage by 95.5%.

Zero-emission operations by 2030

Havila is working towards converting its operations entirely to zero-emission propulsion by 2030.

The ships have been designed to allow a gradual transition to energy sources such as hydrogen or synthetic fuels without structural modifications, once the fuels and necessary infrastructure become sufficiently available.

The wider approach also includes heat recovery, measures to lower resource consumption and efforts to reduce food waste onboard.

Recognition from the German market

The third consecutive award also carries significance from a sales perspective. Havila CEO Bent Martini describes the Kreuzfahrt Guide Award as an important indicator in the company's Central European market.

For tour operators, the development behind the award is particularly relevant. Sustainability positioning is increasingly being supported by concrete technologies, measurable results and clearly defined transformation plans.

For cruise and coastal voyages in particular, where emissions remain an important part of the sustainability debate, such figures provide the travel trade with more tangible information when assessing and communicating products.

More on Havila Voyages.

Header: © Havila-Kystruten