On 23 February 2023 Swan Hellenic announced that the naming ceremony of its third and largest ice-class cultural expedition cruise ship, SH Diana, will take place in Amsterdam on 4 May.
SH Diana, a new purpose-designed vessel, will be named by luxury travel visionary and icon Valerie Ann Wilson in the presence of Swan Hellenic Senior Management, local dignitaries, VIP guests, the media and members of the cruise and travel industries from around the world
Valerie’s key role in the naming ceremony underlines the relationships the renascent Swan Hellenic has already built across the United States.
Renowned not only as the Founder and CEO of Valerie Wilson Travel, Valerie is also Chairman Emeritus of the Global Member Advisory Board of the Virtuoso® global network of luxury travel advisors, and Chairman Emeritus to the Virtuoso® Hotels & Resorts Committee. Valerie has earned countless awards including “Lifetime Achievement” from Virtuoso® and Travel Weekly. Valerie Wilson Travel is proud to be part of FROSCH, a Chase company.
Following the ceremony and subsequent entertainment after the naming, Valerie will remain on board as a VIP group host during SH Diana’s maiden cruise to Tromso, Norway Explored, sailing on the evening of 4 May.
Having visited Germany’s Heligoland archipelago, SH Diana will call at Mandal, the southernmost town in Norway, and start making her way up almost the entire Norwegian coast.
Having completed her Arctic Season of seven cultural expedition cruises, SH Diana will make her way back down the western seaboard to the Mediterranean, marking Swan Hellenic’s historic return to the region for which the concept of cultural expedition cruising was originally created.
Then she will go further, taking it worldwide as she continues through the Suez Canal to the Paradise Islands, Madagascar and Southern Africa on her way to Antarctica.
SH Diana is the third and largest in a series of three high ice-class, cultural expedition cruise vessels made for discovery experiences worldwide, with a strong bias for extreme latitude areas.
SH Diana features a 4.6-megawatt diesel-electric propulsion system with selective catalytic reduction and a PC6 ice-strengthened hull with extra-large stabilisers for exceptional passenger comfort.
At 125 m, the 12,100-ton vessel has been specially designed to explore the most inaccessible places around the world.
SH Diana, like her sister ships SH Minerva and SH Vega, has been designed to meet the latest environmental regulations and is completely self-sufficient for up to 40 days or 8,000 nautical miles.
Preparations have been made to implement zero-emission battery technology which would also make it possible to operate silently in port, marine reserves, and other sensitive natural areas.
The vessels are equipped with exhaust gas cleaning, advanced wastewater treatment systems and the waste storage facilities required for operating in sensitive polar areas.
The ship provides spacious 5-star accommodation for 192 guests in 96 spacious staterooms and suites, the vast majority with large balconies, and is operated by an onboard team of 141 to provide the highest levels of personal service.
