Per Saevik’s Havila Kystruten has succeeded in bringing back a new cruise ferry into service following a legal battle over Russian sanctions.

The Oslo-listed shipowner had gone to court in Norway to extricate itself from a nightmarish Catch-22 situation involving Russian lease financing for the 15,500-gt Havila Capella (built 2021).

The ship had been stuck in port since 12 April after domestic insurer Gard dropped its cover when the lease financier, Russia’s GTLK Asia, was sanctioned over the war in Ukraine.