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Cow compost is not a topic you would expect cruise Excited about Line’s team, and yet last month when I was on board Havilah Polaris For a trip along the Norwegian coast, it had the brand’s chief executive, Bent Martini, waxing lyrical.
Martini’s goal is for the cruise line to be at the forefront of reducing emissions at sea. It is the first ship to operate on the route using a combination of battery power and biogas – a renewable fuel created by breaking down animal and food waste.
“We’re very proud to be making history,” says Martini. Independent, On a cold November evening. “Sustainable operations are in our DNA. Everything we are doing is focused on the environment and is not a marketing stunt. It is something we are committed to doing.”
Martini explains that sustainable sailing is an order from the top level of the company cruise The line’s founder Per Sevik promised his grandchildren that they would have the chance to experience the natural world in the same state as he had.
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In an effort to fulfill this promise, Savic’s team is loading 350 cubic meters of biogas onto the mine Havilah Polaris Cruise ship in Bergen. This is enough to power the ship for the 3,100-mile, 12-day coastal passage to Kirkenes.
Martini explained: “We have a responsibility to the people and communities on our unique coastline. And we know that using biogas is an effective solution for sailing on the coastal route with very low emissions.”
There is currently a race off the Norwegian coast between cruise brands such as Havilah Voyage and rival Hurtigruten to offer climate-neutral sailings to passengers that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere, as well as offsetting emissions remaining elsewhere.
hurtigruten completed a climate-neutral sailing using biodiesel in October, just weeks after Havilah Voyages revealed plans to operate biogas-powered itineraries.
Longer term, cruise lines are preparing for new regulations being introduced by the Norwegian Maritime Authority – starting next year with ferries and smaller ships – which will eventually allow only zero-emission ships to sail into the fjords.
Havilah Voyages only needs to comply from 2032 due to the size of its ships, but it has already made an emissions-free voyage into the fjords using its battery pack for four hours.
And now, the cruise company, which uses less polluting liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of diesel, has taken a big step forward in the environmental fight by showing it’s possible to complete a climate-neutral voyage off the Norwegian coast using biogas.
This is a watershed moment – according to Havilah Voyage, while LNG reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by more than 35 percent, biogas goes a step further by reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent. It also prevents methane being released into the atmosphere from cow dung.
Havilah Voyage plans to begin using biogas on four of its ships by 2028, and the changes will not require any shipyard visits as the fuel can be stored in the same space currently used for LNG.
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The first difference I noticed on board is the lack of smoke coming from the ship. Older cruise ships that have not yet switched to LNG and use traditional fuels such as marine diesel can create an unsightly cloud of smoke when leaving port. As a result, when we depart from Bergen, there is no general warning to avoid going out while refueling the ship.
I tour the engine room below deck where the screens look like the dashboard of a high-tech hybrid car. They display the ship’s speed and the level of remaining battery charge, as later during the voyage the captain will undertake an emission-free voyage using only the 86 tonnes of batteries present on board, usually when the ship is close to the fjord.
The excess heat from the engine room is also used to heat the hot tubs – important in cold weather – as well as heating the cabin and providing hot water in the bathrooms.
However, there is no worry about the team running out of power, as the captain will never let the battery go below 20 percent. Additionally, it is recharged by the engine’s biogas fuel in the same way that a hybrid vehicle is recharged while moving.
It is not just the ship’s fuel that is important for Havilah trips. The cruise line aims to keep food waste to 75 grams per guest per day, although Martini said the figure is closer to 69 grams.
There’s no 24-hour buffet, but you won’t go hungry. For lunch and dinner I have a big portion of haddock or steak with potatoes and vegetables, which is enough to fill me up. And at breakfast I was surprised to find that a small bowl of scrambled eggs and a variety of cheeses and Norwegian smoked salmon set me up for the day. There is also a café where you can buy snacks.
Havilah Voyages’ ships are not designed to be cruises at sea. The ships serve two purposes: one to provide a faster method of transportation for locals to visit more remote parts of Norway, and the other as expedition ships that take guests to exciting destinations where they can immerse themselves.
I found myself full of adrenaline after a stop in Ålesund kayaking between Art Nouveau buildings before jumping into the icy waters for a swim.
Instead of attending dinner timed to live on-board entertainment in the evening, guests swap stories about nature and scenery discovered during the excursion and are served local delicacies including king crab and reindeer (it tastes like chicken liver).
The main entertainment can be found at the glass-covered Havblick Bar on deck nine, where, while enjoying an Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail, I joined others looking out the windows trying to catch a glimpse of nature’s best show: Northern LightsWhich sadly didn’t come up during my time on the ship. But the good news is that Havilah Voyage plans to stick around for decades.
Martini’s next goal is to use emission-free hydrogen on board by 2030, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for sustainable sailing under clean air: not only for Sevik’s grandchildren, but also for me and future generations. Unfortunately, this cannot guarantee a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis.
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how to do it
A 12-day round trip (Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen) costs £1,181 per person, based on two people sharing an inside cabin, on a choice of departure dates. The price includes accommodation and full board. Flights are not included.