Havila Voyages has unveiled the date for its industry-first cruise powered by biogas and battery power.
The Norway-focused cruise line revealed plans for the climate-neutral cruise in August and has confirmed it will now sail on 30 November for a 12-day roundtrip along the coast from Bergen.
On 26 November, Havila Polaris will be filled with 200 cubic metres of liquefied biogas at Polarbase outside Hammerfest.
The vessel will then travel to Bergen on 30 November where she will be filled with an additional 150 cubic metres of liquefied biogas.
The total amount of biogas will be sufficient to operate Havila Polaris for a full round trip along Norway’s coastal route, in combination with the ship’s large battery packs, Havila Voyages said.
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While acknowledging that the biogas will be mixed with the existing natural gas already in Havila Polaris’s tanks, the cruise line’s chief executive Bent Martini, says it has lower carbon dioxide emissions than other fossil fuel alternatives such as biodiesel.
He said: “With this voyage, we aim to prove that it is entirely possible to operate the entire coastal route climate-neutrally – something we also believe should be the minimum requirement in the next tender period for the coastal route.
“Since announcing this sailing in August this year, we have worked with our gas suppliers, Barents Naturgass and Molgas, to secure enough biogas to carry out the voyage. We are pleased that the delivery is now confirmed. The amount of biogas we will have on board is significant and will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions from this voyage by more than 90 per cent.”
Havila Voyages’ four ships are currently powered by a combination of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and large battery packs, and Martini said the brand aims to operate solely on biogas by the end of 2028.
He said: “This gas will be produced and sourced along the Norwegian coast. It’s short-travelled, will create local jobs, and strengthen the value chains along our route. As a Norwegian company with Norwegian ownership, this is important to us – and it makes our solution even more valuable for the local communities we serve every day, all year round.”
Hurtigruten also announced last week that it will be operating the coastal voyage later this month using biodiesel.
Martini added: “When both companies that currently have contracts with Norwegian authorities demonstrate that stricter requirements are possible, these can be implemented from day one in the next contract period without a gradual phase-in – and we think that’s both positive and the only right thing to do.”
He also points out that there are some differences between the use of biogas and biodiesel, adding: “Biodiesel reduces emissions, but biogas offers even greater reductions – not only in carbon dioxide emissions but also in local emissions such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, which are reduced by 100 per cent with biogas. This has a major impact on local air quality in the 34 ports we visit along the coast.”
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