Norwegian company Havila Voyages has announced that its first vessel, Havila Capella, has embarked upon its first voyage. The plug-in hybrid ships weigh 86 tons and have, claims Havila Voyages CEO Bent Martini, the world’s largest battery packs designed for passenger ships.

The Capella is the first of four new vessels. Each has a capacity of 6.1MWh, equivalent to around 600 high-spec Teslas.

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“The batteries allow us to sail for four hours without noise and emissions, and we can sail quietly and sustainably through world heritage fjords and pristine nature,” says Martini. “The battery packs are just one of several measures that mean that our ships cut NOX  emissions by around 90% and CO2  emissions by around 25%.”

Havila Voyages sails the coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes. The hybrid ships are charged with clean hydropower at shore, and when the batteries are low, the vessels switch to natural gas. The hull is specially designed for maximum energy efficiency, and excess heat from cooling water is used for heating on board.