Swan Hellenic’s second ship, SH Vega, sets sail for Arctic

Swan Hellenic introduced that the Naming Ceremony of its second ice-class cultural expedition cruise ship, SH Vega, had taken place at Helsinki Shipyard. The ship is now on her strategy to Norway and her first cultural expedition cruise of the Arctic, an 11-day exploration of the Svalbard Archipelago, departing Tromsø on the twentieth of July 2022.

The purpose-designed new vessel was named by Patrizia Zito née Passalacqua, spouse of Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito, within the presence of Helsinki Shipyard Senior Management, the media and members of the cruise and journey industries from around the globe.

SH Vega is the second in a collection of three elegant, excessive ice-class, cultural expedition cruise vessels made for premium discovery experiences worldwide, with a powerful bias for excessive latitude areas. SH Vega includes a 5-megawatt diesel-electric propulsion system with selective catalytic discount and a PC5 ice-strengthened hull with extra-large stabilisers for distinctive passenger consolation. At 113 m, the ten,600-ton vessel has been specifically designed to discover probably the most inspiring and inaccessible locations on the planet.

SH Vega, like her twin sister SH Minerva, has been designed to satisfy the newest environmental laws and is totally self-sufficient for as much as 40 days or 8,000 nautical miles. Preparations have been made to implement battery know-how which might additionally make it doable to function silently. The vessels are geared up with exhaust fuel cleansing, superior wastewater therapy methods and the waste storage amenities required for working in delicate polar areas.

Providing spacious 5-star lodging for 152 company in 76 spacious staterooms and suites, the overwhelming majority with giant balconies, SH Vega is operated by an onboard group of 120 to supply the very best ranges of non-public service.

Soon after the ceremony, she set sail from Helsinki to Tromsø, Norway, for a season of maiden cruises exploring the magic of the Arctic, from the Svalbard Peninsula and Iceland’s landscapes of ice and hearth to Greenland’s dramatic majesty, the Northwest Passage and the wilds of Northern Canada. Then, come late Autumn, she’ll make her method down the U.S. East Coast over 12 days, taking in every thing from New York, Norfolk and Charleston to Miami. From November, she’ll offer a spread of 11 to 21-day cultural expedition cruises of Antarctica by way of till March 2023, when she sails up the West Coast of Africa to the Canary Islands and Western Europe, additionally immersing company within the Celtic lands of Britain and Ireland on the way in which to her second Arctic season. This will finish with a crossing from Greenland to Nova Scotia, adopted by the Caribbean after which Brazil in October 2023.

SH Vega sailed from Helsinki within the knowledgeable palms of trade veterans Captain Tuomo Leskinen and Hotel Director Philipp Reutener, who created the acclaimed Swan Hellenic onboard expertise on SH Minerva and can guarantee the identical distinctive excessive requirements are persistently maintained on her sister ship.

Executive Chef Avhier Singh brings expertise in high-end lodges and cruise corporations. But much more importantly, he additionally comes throughout from SH Minerva, the place he dropped at life the numerous menus of freshly cooked delicacies that embody authentic Italian and Asian fusion dishes created for the long-lasting firm by award-winning Consultant Chefs Andrea Ribaldone and Sang Keun Oh.

After the Naming Ceremony, Helsinki Shipyard Project Manager Jonas Packalén commented: “This is a proud day for us all. SH Vega is every bit as beautiful and elegant as her twin sister! We wish her and her crew fair winds and following seas, with special thanks to everyone involved in the project for their unstinting dedication!”

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito added: “I would like to congratulate everyone at Helsinki for their superb work in creating this wonderful new ship. We are delighted with the quality of their work, creating another unique presence on the waves, and very much look forward to taking her first guests to see what others don’t, exploring the Arctic in exceptional comfort and style.”

SH Minerva and SH Vega will probably be joined early subsequent yr by the marginally bigger SH Diana, which is already beneath development at Helsinki Shipyard.