On Monday, the coastal cruise ship Havila Pollux was christened in Bryggen, Bergen, by its godmother Erna Solberg, former Prime Minister of Norway. “A very beautiful ship,” said Solberg after the christening ceremony.
The Havila Pollux coastal cruise ship was moored in Bryggen, right in the heart of Bergen, on Monday when its official christening ceremony took place. The ship's godmother was former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
“It’s very nice to be asked, it’s nice to do it, and above all, it’s a very beautiful boat,” Solberg said in an interview on the day of the christening ceremony.
“I think it's exciting to see a ship with large battery packs, and that there's an emphasis on being environmentally friendly“.
Solberg believes the coastal route is important for Norway, as a maritime nation, to meet its emissions targets.
“We must reduce emissions from domestic shipping by 50% by 2030. We must do more than just make our ferries emit less. That's why we set requirements when we put the coastal route concession out to tender when we were in government. And what I'm hearing now is that these vessels meet those requirements, and that they can achieve much more if we are good enough to create incentives for it,” said Solberg.
“And that's important because we need to develop new technologies for the entire naval sector“.
For the shipping company, Monday's appointment ceremony was a big day.
“A ship's christening ceremony is a festive day for a shipping company. It's a day to thank everyone who has contributed to making the ship a reality, and to thank all our employees who have been involved from the construction process to a coastal cruise ship operating along the Norwegian coast,” says CEO Bent Martini.
“Being able to christen the Havila Pollux in the setting we have done today, right in the center of Bergen bathed in the spring sunshine, has added an extra touch to the whole event“.
Martini featured Solberg at the table during the christening ceremony luncheon on board, where guests were able to sample Havila Voyages' gastronomic concept.
“We are proud to have a former Prime Minister as godmother of the Havila Pollux, also because it was during Erna Solberg's term that the requirements for the current government contract period were established“.
“It’s gratifying to know that he shares many of our ideas about what it takes for us to succeed in the effort towards a greener shipping sector, and if we are to achieve the ambitious national emissions reduction targets. We fully agree that there need to be sufficiently strong incentives, and we believe our ships are proof that it is possible with the right will and investment capacity,” Martini concludes.
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