Swan Hellenic to return in 2021

FAMOUS British cruise line Swan Hellenic has been reborn, just over three years after it ceased trading and was sold to G Adventures (CW 05 Jan 2017).

However the revived brand has now been on-sold to a private group led by Andrea Zito, who formerly worked for V-Ships Leisure, a major supplier of ship management and marine services to the cruise sector.

The reborn Swan Hellenic is currently building two Polar Class 5 ships at Helsinki Shipyard, under the working titles Vega 1 and Vega 2, with both to have ice-strengthened hulls.

The ships will have 76 cabins accommodating 152 guests in total, with 60 cabins on each ship to feature a large balcony.

Swan Hellenic is describing its ships as “Scandi-lux”, with the newbuilds set to offer spacious and well-planned cabins, generously sized bathrooms, in-room dining facilities and unobstructed views from cabins and public spaces - renders available on Cruise Weekly’s

Facebook page HERE.

Oceanview, Balcony, Suite and Premium Suite accommodation is on offer, with Swan Hellenic saying its first ship will debut in Nov 2021 sailing to Antarctica, with the next to arrive in Apr 2022.

The website swanhellenic.com is already advertising a 13-day trip to New Zealand from £15,950 per cabin, as well as cruises to the Arctic, Antarctica, the Russian Far East, and the “rest of the world”, including destinations such as Japan, the South Pacific and Western Europe.

New Swan Hellenic Chief Executive Officer Andrea Zito (pictured), who also helped broker the earlier sale of the cruise line to G Adventures in 2017 (CW 02 Feb 2017), said the phoenix company retains its British heritage, whilst also being international in outlook, with offices in Germany and the

United Kingdom.

Zito said Swan Hellenic was “aimed at the traveller, who wishes to explore, experience and enrich whilst the infinite beauty of the world and its inhabitants in a safe and sustainable way”.

He also said the cruise line would be heavily involved with the trade.

“Hellenic was always a family brand and we want to continue along the same line by inviting all cruise industry partners to become part of the new Swan Hellenic community.”

Interested travel agents can register their curiosity HERE.

Swan Hellenic describes its expedition program as offering “immersive exclusive bucket list experiences for the discerning traveller”, including opportunities to explore the Yenisey river system, Franz Josef Land and Lyakhovsky Islands.

Swan Hellenic last cruised in Jan 2017, when operator All Leisure Holidays Group collapsed, impacting around 13,000 future bookings for both Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery passengers.

G Adventures then stepped in to attempt to save the brand, but no itineraries were ever publicised or released for sale.

It was the third time Swan Hellenic had ceased operating, after initially being discontinued in 2007 by Carnival Corporation.

Swan Hellenic was formerly represented in Australia by Discover the World, but there has been no indications of any third-party or general sales agent agreements taking place yet.