Swan Hellenic has announced the christening of its new vessel, the SH Minerva, at the Helsinki Shipyard during a small private ceremony attended by the godmother, Johanna Mäkelä, Finland’s first professor of food culture and wife of Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen. Mayor Vartiainen was also in attendance, along with Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito and Helsinki Shipyard CEO Carl-Gustaf Rotkirch, as well as other senior executives.
The celebration comes in the wake of global supply chain disruptions and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Finland, which led Swan Hellenic to make the difficult decision to delay the start of the Minerva’s inaugural season, choosing to cancel its first two cruises rather than risk compromising its highest standards of quality and safety. The SH Minerva is scheduled to leave the shipyard early next week.
At the christening, Jonas Packalén, Project Director at the Helsinki Shipyard, said: “We are delighted that this day has finally arrived, after the many challenges that have made our task far from easy. Our special thanks go to everyone who has participated in the project for their tireless dedication and outstanding work.”
Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito added: “I, too, would like to congratulate everyone in Helsinki for their impeccable work under difficult circumstances and for the strict safety measures that have kept the SH Minerva in a safe environment at all times. The ship was completed just 26 months after the contract was signed, which is a remarkable achievement. We are now looking forward to taking our guests to see what others don’t see, exploring in exceptional comfort and style.”
