Swan Hellenic wins bid to acquire SH Vega

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Helsinki Shipyard exercised the right to sell SH Vega by tender after the original buyer failed to take delivery of the ship
Swan Hellenic won the bid to take ownership of SH Vega from Helsinki Shipyard, with the auction closing at midnight on June 24.

SH Vega was put out for tender on June 13 by the shipyard after the Russian-owned leasing company GTLK defaulted on payment due to sanctions.

The ship was originally set to be chartered to Swan, which was in talks last month about fresh equity after cutting ties with Russian owners.

The amount paid for the vessel has not been disclosed, however the Seatrade Cruise News orderbook listed the newbuild at $100m.

Delivery

SH Vega will be delivered to Swan Hellenic as soon as registry formalities in the Bahamas have been completed and Swan Hellenic becomes the owner of the ship. 

The 10,500gt vessel is to start operating in the Arctic as planned from July 20. 

Swan Hellenic CEO 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 July 20 from Tromsø, Norway.’  

Design 

At 113 metres long with a 20.2-meter beam, SH Vega spans nine decks and has capacity for 152 passengers and 120 crew. Its interiors are by Tillberg Design of Sweden and its exterior design comes from Robert McFarlane.

It has 76 guest rooms, 80% with balconies, and 73 crew staterooms. 

The expedition ship houses 13 Zodiacs and eight kayaks.