Vega caps Antarctic season

SWAN Hellenic’s Vega has completed her first Antarctic season with a unique cultural expedition cruise to South Africa.

The line’s second purpose-designed ice-class ship has reached Cape Town, from where she is about to embark on a series of unique cultural expedition cruises of West Africa.

Her 20-day voyage crossed the Drake Passage, explored the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, and South Georgia, before sailing on to Cape Town via Gough Island, and Tristan da Cunha, the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, which was last visited by a ship in 2019.

Vega’s first Antarctic Season has seen her take around 1,200 guests on 11 cruises of singularly spectacular regions and locations, including the Falklands, Portal Point, Port Lockroy, the volcanic Deception Island, the Lemaire Channel, and Iceberg A-76, once the world’s largest, and now roughly the size of Cornwall.

Despite some challenging weather, Vega managed to complete more than 120 expeditions in almost five months.

“We’re extremely proud of our guests’ wholehearted appreciation of Vega’s first Antarctic cultural expedition cruises,” Chief Executive Officer Andrea Zito enthused.

“Even in some truly severe weather conditions, including the notoriously challenging Drake Passage, the exceptional seakeeping characteristics of the ship and expertise of the crew meant the comfort of our guests was never compromised and we could take them safely on nearly every planned expedition.

“Now we look forward to taking our guests to discover unique sites along the West African Coast for the first time in our history.”

Swan Hellenic will now look forward to the naming ceremony of its largest ship Diana, which will be held in Amsterdam on 04 May (CW 24 Feb).

Luxury travel icon Valerie Wilson, founder & Chief Executive Officer of Valerie Wilson Travel, will serve as godmother of Diana.