Hawila will be used not only as a sailing freighter, but also as a cultural and educational platform, to raise environmental awareness and contribute to driving the global shipping industry toward a sustainable, carbon-free transportation culture.
Hawila wants to create awareness about globalization along its route. Through the lessons learned over the years, they want to continue their mission to teach traditional skills related to sailing and boat building using natural and sustainable products.
Because art and games can open minds to create visions and actions, Hawila is used as a collaborative platform for performances and workshops around sustainability and traditional sailing.
A ship with a long history
Hawila was built in Risør, Norway, in 1935 as a Baltic Trader, a traditional Scandinavian design for a strong wooden freighter capable of carrying a huge amount of cargo for its size.
She was built as an engine-assisted sailing ship and carried natural ice until the 1960s. In WWII, she was converted into a two-masted sailing freighter to compensate for fuel shortages.
With the end of the ice trade, she was first abandoned in the 1970s. Starting in 1978, a Swedish independent school "Mot Bättre Vetande" converted her into a sail training ship for school children as part of the school curriculum: the cargo hold became a dormitory, the aft wheelhouse was removed, a galley was built on the deck , and an aft deck was raised. From 1984 to 2008, generations of Swedish schoolchildren sailed Hawila. Eventually, the school's financial situation led to Hawila being sold.
A new owner kept her for a few years before abandoning her in Kastrup in 2013. In 2014 she was rescued, repaired and restored for coastal navigation by our non-profit organization Hawila Project.
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