Growing up in Sunnmore on Norway’s rugged west coast, Per Saevik earned his first wages working on a fishing boat at the age of 12. 

By 15, he was skippering his own vessel and, over the ensuing six decades, he built Havila Holdings – a business intrinsically linked with the sea comprising subsidiaries in fisheries, offshore shipping and ferries.

Later came a move into tourism with the addition of hotels near the company’s office in the coastal town of Fosnavag. Given the firm’s heritage, cruising made for a natural next step.

“We have the nicest coast in the world, we knew we needed to grow in this business and the coastal route,” 81-year-old Saevik tells TTG in his first UK trade interview. “We always look at synergies between the different segments we have in the tourism sector, and were looking for expansion,” he explains.

In 2018, Saevik’s fledgling cruise business Havila Voyages won a 10-year Norwegian government contract to operate along the historic coastal service route from Bergen to Kirkenes. 

The decision turned heads and saw its competitor, the 128-year-old brand Hurtigruten, relinquish four of the 11 ship slots for the first time. When Havila Capella, the line’s first vessel, embarked on its maiden sailing in December, it was the culmination of a voyage decades in the making. 

The significance of the milestone was made even greater for Saevik and his team after “two very difficult years” amid the pandemic.

"It was a fantastic time to finally see the ship ready to sail,” he smiles, leaning back in his chair in the boardroom of Havila’s headquarters. “It’s a huge pleasure to see passengers actually coming onboard and not just see money flow out of the company,” he adds, with a grin.

“That first sailing, we had a fantastic welcome along the coastline. I sailed from Bergen to Tromso – so many of the guests were so happy to be with us and so happy with how we’re treating the environment.”

ECO-CREDENTIALS

Capella is the first of four new-build sister vessels for Havila, each almost identical and capable of carrying 640 passengers – a mix of fjord-crossing locals and international tourists. Second ship Havila Castor is due to set sail from Bergen in mid-May after being pushed back by a month due to shipyard delays in Turkey.

The setback should see third vessel Havila Polaris and fourth Havila Pollux delivered between Q3 and Q4 this year, says Saevik. He describes Capella as “the most environmentally-friendly vessel sailing in the world”.

Given his reverence of, and his businesses’ reliance on, the sea, the ability for Havila to cruise sustainably is sacrosanct to Saevik.

“We believe we are the leading cruise company [for sustainability], it’s a big part of our USP and how we speak to our customers,” he says. “If you’re not putting sustainability in the front seat of your business, then you won’t be part of the winning team in the future.”

The plug-in hybrid vessels employ what Havila describes as the world’s largest battery packs designed for passenger ships. Each weighing 86 tonnes, they have a capacity of 6.1 megawatt hours – equivalent to 600 Tesla cars.

The technology enables the ships to sail for four hours “without noise and emissions”. “We’ll sail emission-free and completely quietly into the fjords – it’s a unique thing for our customers to experience,” says Saevik.

The batteries are charged in ports along the route using hydropower, while the ships’ hulls are designed to ensure “the lowest possible fuel consumption”. Saevik believes his forensic focus on sustainability is among a number of selling points for UK agents to use with clients. 

From fuel to food, he also highlights the Havila Food Stories dining concept, which provides “a wide variety of different tastes at different points of the journey”.

After initially seeing “huge demand” from the German market, Saevik predicts British interest will be piqued later in the year as travellers seek out winter northern lights breaks. Havila, he says, is more appealing to younger clients than “typical big-ship cruising” with its range of shorter itineraries and the intrigue that comes with visiting small communities living among the fjords.

Agents’ help will no doubt be integral to those ambitions, and Havila has UK country manager Matthew Valentine primed to capitalise on this as the line looks to ramp up its trade engagement. 

“It has been difficult with a lot of agencies and operators closed and working from home but we will be keeping him [Valentine] busy in the months ahead,” smiles Saevik.

He explains Havila is targeting new agent partners, more store visits and product training as the team seeks to “make sure agents have all support they need.”

LOOKING BEYOND NORWAY

Agent fam trips to Norway are also “a natural part” of Havila’s plans, with visits to sail on the line’s growing fleet in the pipeline. “We’re really looking forward to showcasing the product,” says Saevik. “It’s so important agents see the differences between our main competition on the coastal route.”

Amid its expansion, yet more excitement could perhaps also be on the horizon as Saevik – ever the man to look for fresh ventures – ponders new destinations. “The longer plan is to look at other opportunities and, of course, that means [destinations] outside of Norway.”

While he hints at venturing further north, Saevik insists “nothing is yet concrete” and follows this up with a wry smile and a reality check: “Today, we have plenty of work coming our way with the four new vessels – in the short term, we’ll focus on getting them on water.”

With Havila’s burgeoning industry profile and aspirations to grow further, is Saevik worried about his line’s place amid competition at home and potentially overseas? 

“Competition? I’m not worried – I’ve had to deal with competition since I was 15.”