Helsinki Shipyard in Finland has delivered the first of three Vega-class ships under construction for Swan Hellenic, the Cyprus based expedition cruise line.

“The vessel, named SH Minerva, will start the cruise operations of the iconic Swan Hellenic shipping company and (on) 3 December she left Helsinki towards Ushuaia, from where the vessel’s maiden cruise will take off,” the shipbuilder said.

Soon after the naming ceremony on 23 November SH Minerva headed to the sea trials where it was ensured that the built next-generation polar expedition vessel complies with what has been agreed with the customer and that it meets the international criteria, which are inspected and approved by the classification society. 

Sea trials went according to the plan and completed within demanding schedule. The performance and the quality of the ship were proven to be good and in accordance with the agreed measurements. 

Installation and commissioning works continued in the pier at the shipyard and the delivery readiness was reached on Friday, 3 December

The project has not been easy in the middle of the pandemic and related logistic challenges. Despite of these obstacles the vessel has been completed after only 26 months from the signing of the contract which is a remarkable achievement, Helsinki Shipyard noted.