Havila Kystruten is cheering a Norwegian government investigation into the country’s coastal ferry service.
The Oslo-listed owner said the Ministry of Transport announced the analysis on Thursday, to assess the transportation needs and environmental consequences of the services which could result in stricter regulations next time the government opens bids for services.
“Havila Kystruten views the initiation of work on the next tender period positively, and well ahead of the expiration of this period in 2030,” the company said in a stock exchange filing made on Friday morning.
“The company is optimistic about both the need for the coastal transportation service and the tightening of environmental requirements to operate on the route.”
It said demand for tourism is rising and that its fleet of four LNG and battery-powered ferries is well-placed to cope with higher environmental standards.
In its annual report, Havila Kystruten said its LNG and battery system had cut CO2 emissions by 35% and SOx and NOx emissions by 90%.
It intends to shift to biogas in the coming years, leading to CO2 reductions of 50% in 2025 and 2026 and 90% by 2028 with the use of carbon-neutral biogas.
The company also said it had reduced food waste by more than 65 tonnes last year.
But it has not always been smooth sailing.
Two of its vessels were caught in a sanctions row as they were financed through a Moscow-based lender added to Western blacklists following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Havila Kystruten had to seek out new financing arrangements for the vessels to get them in operation. Then, later in the year, two of its ships ran into mechanical problems, with one — the 640-berth Havila Pollux (built 2023) — needing to have its electric engine replaced in October.
Both vessels have since reentered service, and the company said in the fourth quarter that it had all four in operation with 60% of rooms occupied.
