The company apologized to passengers.

The passenger ship MS “Havila Capella” was supposed to set sail from Bergen on Tuesday evening. At midnight that night, the ship was still at the dock in town.

Havila’s communications manager, Lasse A. Vangstein, has now confirmed that it was due to sanctions against the Russian ship lender GTLK.

– There is uncertainty of insurance coverage so that the departure is postponed. This is a situation that arose as a result of sanctions against the leasing company that had financed Havila, Vangstein told BT.

Due to the sanctions, any payments to GTLK go into blocked bank accounts, Vangstein added.

In contact with the authorities

EU has justify sanctions against GTLK with the company “supporting and financially benefiting from the Russian government, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine”.

Vangstein added that they are in touch with Norwegian authorities to clarify the situation.

– Very regrettable to all our passengers looking forward to traveling. “This is a situation that is beyond our control,” said Vangstein.

“Havila Capella” left the flagstone on Monday night and arrived in Bergen at 13 on Tuesday, and was actually set to sail at 20:30 on Tuesday night.

– Will sever Russian relations

He said that they were working to find a solution soon, and wanted to take care of the passengers. Vangstein emphasized that the company was Norwegian, and that the ship was Norwegian for all practical purposes.

– We have supported sanctions against Russian companies. We are now working to refinance this ship to sever Russia’s ties, he said.

GTLK is one of the world’s largest players in aircraft leasing. At the end of 2020, a portfolio of 70 passenger aircraft and 19 tankers was valued at $4.5 billion. The customer list includes airlines such as Emirates, EasyJet, SunExpress and Aeroflot.

– Get messages through the speaker

Terje Albregtsen was on the boat with his wife Magnhild Bergheim. They came from Molde and traveled back and forth from Bergen to Kirkenes and back again.

He said he started to stutter while the boat was still standing at 10 p.m.

– Then there was information over the loudspeaker that the ship was waiting for a letter from the authorities, he said.

In addition, passengers received no further information, Albregtsen said. However, he suspects that the delay has something to do with sanctions.

– That’s what I thought. The smell from the start had that kind of connection, he said.

It is uncertain whether Albregtsen and the other passengers will depart tomorrow.

– In the meantime, it’s just a matter of getting a good night’s sleep, there’s nothing else you can do, he said.

According to the plan, GTLK will finance the four ships that will be deployed by Havila Kystruten between Bergen and Kirkenes. «Havila Capella» is the only one in traffic now. The other vessel, “Havila Castor”, is scheduled to be put into service from May 10, according to NRK.

In 2018, the Havila Group was awarded a ten-year contract with the state for the operation of four of the 11 coastal routes between Bergen and Kirkenes.

Hurtigruten operates another.