Helsinki Shipyard, having received bids for the auction of NB 517, today announced that Swan Hellenic has been awarded the tender, the Finnish shipbuilder said in a statement referring to an expedition cruise ship called SH Vega.
"Helsinki Shipyard exercised the right to sell the ship by tender, provided for by the shipbuilding contract, after the original buyer failed to take delivery of the ship. The auction ended at midnight on Friday the 24 June and was satisfactory for Helsinki Shipyard, which analysed the bids and declared Swan Hellenic the winner,” it said
The ship will, as anticipated, be delivered to Swan Hellenic as soon as all the registry formalities in The Bahamas have been completed, and Swan Hellenic becomes the sole owner of SH Vega.
The vessel will start operating in the Arctic as scheduled from the 20 July.
Andrea Zito said "We are happy to have secured SH Vega, a Polar Class PC5 vessel with state-of-the-art ship technology and sustainability that will enter service as planned in July. We look forward to welcoming our guests onboard SH Vega to experience our cultural expedition cruises in sophisticated elegance, commencing on the 20th of July from Tromsø, Norway.”
This is the second ship of the same design that Swan Hellenic that is based on Cyprus has received from the Finnish shipyard. SH Vega and SH Minerva, the first unit, both measure about 10,600 gross tons. Both were originally contracted by Russian principals that had intended bare boat charter the ships to Swan Hellenic. However, this arrangement collapsed after Russian attack on Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions against several Russian institutions and individuals
A slightly larger 12,500 gross ton newbuilding remains on order for Swan Hellenic that has also acquired SH Minerva since the Russian outrage.
