Hurtigruten

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This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: "Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux is expected to be delivered before summer 2023", general situation of Havila Kystruten (I think their ships are all in service now). Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2024)

Hurtigruten (lit. 'Express Route'), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"),^[1] is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports north of Tromsø.^[2]

Hurtigruten provides daily, year-round and consistent traffic between Bergen and Kirkenes with 34 ports of call on northbound and 33 ports of call on southbound sailings. The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Norway has set minimum capacity requirements of 320 passengers, 120 berths and cargo for 150 Euro-pallets. The current agreement with the privately held company Hurtigruten AS entered into force on 1 January 2012 and expired on 31 December 2019, with an optional 1-year extension. From 2021 the two companies Hurtigruten AS and Havila Kystruten AS will operate the route.^[3]

As of April 2022, one of the ships of Havila Kystruten, MS Havila Capella, was taken out of service; because of sanctions as a result of the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine, the ship no longer had insurance; "the 4 ships of" the company were at that time financed by a Russian company.^[4]

As of March 2023, Havila Kystruten has 2 out of 4 ships in operation, Havila Capella and Havila Castor. Havila Polaris and Havila Pollux is expected to be delivered before summer 2023.