Havila Kystruten was forced to cancel a voyage of the vessel HAVILA CAPELLA from Bergen to Kirkenes and then back to Bergen. This unforeseen complication is that the liability insurance for the vessel has been invalidated by the European Union’s sanctions on Russia. The leasing company for Havila’s liability insurance is GTLK Asia. A company stated to have ties to the Russian State.
The vessel was set to depart on 12th April and the announcement regarding the cancellation of the cruise was made on 14th April. 232 passengers had already boarded the ship when the complications arose. The company has stated that the passengers will receive assistance to get back home in addition to a refund for the voyage. The company was scrambling for solutions working with the Norwegian ministry of foreign affairs regarding insurance coverage. They had stated earlier on the same day that they were looking to refinance the insurance, effectively cutting ties with GTLK.
The company GTLK has been included in the European sanctions due to the company having Russian ownership and Vladimir Putin himself, and several influential Russian businesspeople being on the company’s board of directors. The rationale behind the sanctions is that the company could be directly involved in financing the war on Ukraine due to such extensive Russian involvement.
