SH Minerva sets sail for New Year maiden cruise

Swan Hellenic announced that its new ship SH Minerva had left Ushuaia yesterday evening on her maiden cultural expedition cruise of the Antarctic, a 9-day New Year celebration of discovery.

Cruising in the expert hands of industry veterans Captain Tuomo Leskinen and Hotel Director Philipp Reutener, SH Minerva’s first guests look forward to celebrating the New Year deep in the splendours of Antarctica. Here, they will soon be exploring the inspiring sights and wildlife of the Peninsula and milder Shetland Islands in the company of Expedition Leader Pablo Brandeman, polar expert Steve Blamires and renowned ornithologist Andy Bunten.

Internationally acclaimed chef Jörg Lehmann is bringing Swan Hellenic’s distinctive new gastronomic vision to life on board, presenting varied menus of freshly cooked delicacies that include original Italian and Asian fusion dishes, created in partnership with multi-award-winning Consultant Chefs Andrea Ribaldone and Sang Keun Oh.

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented:

We are immensely proud to have welcomed our first guests aboard this wonderful new ship to live unique new experiences that advance the revered Swan Hellenic tradition, taking them to see what others don’t in exceptional comfort and style.

Swan Hellenic was relaunched in July 2020 to proudly continue the spirit of cultural expedition cruising the company pioneered in the 1950s. Building on its British roots, the new company has a global cultural cruising outlook dedicated to providing guests with the opportunity to ‘see what others don’t’.

SH Minerva and SH Vega, two new 5-star polar PC 5 ice-class expedition cruise ships arriving in November 2021 and April 2022, will each accommodate 152 guests in 76 spacious suites and staterooms, the majority with large balconies. A larger PC 6 ice-class vessel accommodating 192 guests in the same distinctive comfort and style in 96 staterooms and suites will be arriving year-end 2022. All three new ships feature 3 dining venues, the Swan Restaurant, Club Lounge and Pool bar & Grill, and are being built in full compliance with SOLAS Safe Return to Port requirements. Dedicated to guests with a passion for adventure and cultural exploration, the company’s meticulously planned itineraries explore the wild landscapes, wildlife, peoples and unique cultures of the world’s less travelled regions.

Swan Hellenic's ships feature elegant Scandi-design interiors, extensive outdoor spaces and dedicated expedition facilities. The crew includes an expedition team comprising expert guides, speakers and lecturers, and - numbering 120 and 140 respectively - almost equals the number of guests, reflecting the high levels of attentive personal service provided.

Headquartered in Cyprus with offices in London, Dusseldorf, Monaco, Fort Lauderdale (serving the North America market) and Hong Kong (serving mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam and South-East Asia), as well as partnerships serving India, Japan and Australia-New Zealand, Scandinavia and Iceland, Swan Hellenic supports the travel trade with specialist local partners to provide customers with expert personal service worldwide.

Tonnage

10 600

Cruising speed

14 knots

Propulsion

5 MW

Ice class

PC5

Length

113 m

Number of passenger cabins

76

Breadth

20.2 m

Number of crew cabins

73

Draught

5.7 m

Classification

Lloyd’s Register

For more information about Swan Hellenic,
please visit www.swanhellenic.com

For Swan Hellenic, please contact:
Mario Bounas, VP, Marketing:
Mario.bounas@swanhellenic.com

For Press, please contact:
Renato Bodi, TwentyTwenty,
Tel.+41793746887, renato.bodi@twentytwenty.biz

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