EXCLUSIVE: Swan Hellenic is optimistic it will have its launch vessel, SH Minerva, rejoin its fleet in the next 12-18 months, enabling the cruise company to revive its stalled Kimberley program, LATTE can exclusively reveal.

Andrea Zito, Chief Executive Officer told LATTE at Virtuoso Travel Week yesterday, “We are very close to reaching an agreement with liquidators, touch wood. They are sitting on 4.5 million euro of assets so they have to liquidate the ship.”

For background, Swan Hellenic signed an initial agreement for three ships in 2019. All three vessels were financed through a 4.5 billion dollar leasing company, however due to its ties with Russia, SH Minerva was forced to halt operation two years ago and has been citing idle in Montevideo since then.

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Swan’s second and third ships, SH Vega and SH Diana, were refinanced before delivery and purchased directly through the Helsinki Shipyard, avoiding the issues that impacted the launch vessel.

Zito told LATTE the situation was a “big mess” however there appears to be an end in sight with the liquidators.

“We need Minerva back because it was the ship dedicated to your place,” referring to LATTE‘s home country of Australia and the expedition ship’s planned Kimberley program.

In 2022, SH Minerva had been flagged to operate four rotations on an 11-day Kimberley itinerary between Darwin and Broome in July and August, tailed by an 11-day voyage from Darwin to Cairns.

Zito explained Swan Hellenic’s ships operate four months in the Arctic, four months in the Antarctic and reposition between the polar regions for the balance of the year.

Minerva was intended to “migrate” at the end of the Antarctica season on a semi-circumnavigation of the White Continent on a 32-day sailing from Ushuaia to Dunedin via the Ross Sea.

“From there she was supposed to come up to the Russian Far East, so the idea was to reposition Minerva to Papua New Guinea, East Indonesia, Japan, Komodo, Kimberley and then crossing back through Fiji, Papeete, Easter Island and return to Ushuaia.”

“We think we can revive this program at the end of 2025, so in 2026 the vessel will be in the Pacific.”

Zito said if there was any silver lining with Minerva‘s indefinite pause for Swan Hellenic was being able to chart a strategic course through the pandemic with one less ship.

“The market is on the way up from Australia and we have a fantastic partnership with TripADeal.”

Zito boasted that Swan Hellnic’s product “is one of the best out there.”

“I cannot be arrogant. The quality of the vessel is fantastic. I’ve been in this industry for 35 years so I have the best professionals on my team. When I started operation it was ready, steady, go… it has not been flawless, but nothing is flawless.”

“We are now consistently between 4.7 and 4.8 on Cruise Critic and we’ve had almost 100,000 reviews now,” he said, meaning the Swan Hellenic experience is kicking goals in terms of delivering on guest expectations.

LATTE is in Las Vegas as a guest of Virtuoso at Virtuoso Travel Week.