V Ships Leisure and Oceanic to manage Swan Hellenic fleet

Founded in 1950 as Swan’s Tours, the brand functioned as a P&O subsidiary and later a Carnival Corp subsidiary between 1983 and 2007 when it ceased operation. An unsuccessful revival effort was mounted between 2007 and 2017.

Canada-based G Adventuers, a small tour operator, acquired the brand in 2017 before it was sold once more, to a new management team led by former Silversea/V Ships executive Andrea Zito, in 2020.

Born again, the cruise line is now the owner of SH Minerva and SH Vega, two five-star polar PC 5 ice-class expedition cruise ships under construction at Helsinki Shipyard, due to arrive in November 2021 and April 2022 . Each can accommodate 152 guests in 76 staterooms and suites.

The project has been supported by V Ships Leisure from the outset with its team already on site at Helsinki Shipyard, supervising the construction of Swan Hellenic’s fleet.

A statement from the line said V Ships Leisure and Oceanic will support the development of Swan Hellenic’s onboard teams to ensure the safety and satisfaction of guests during their voyages and that the Swan Hellenic brand will benefit from access to V Ships Leisure and Oceanic training. V Ship Leisure’s simulators will be used to train the marine and technical crew while Oceanic’s Hospitality Training Centre will help train staff in service and hospitality prior to completion of its ships, utilising the Centre’s mock galley, restaurant, bar and suite. Training will be supplemented by V Ships Leisure’s eLearning platform.