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Swan Hellenic, the iconic cultural expedition cruise company, has announced the launch of its third and largest ship, the SH Diana. Designed for premium discovery experiences worldwide, with a strong bias for extreme latitude areas, the SH Diana is the first to explore ashore with comfortable tender boats and zodiacs. Complying with the latest environmental regulations, the 125-meter-long, 12,100-ton vessel is utterly self-sufficient for up to 40 days or 8,000 nautical miles and equipped with exhaust gas cleaning, advanced wastewater treatment systems and waste storage facilities.

On May 6th, the SH Diana reached Mandal, the southernmost town in Norway, renowned for its largest wooden church, sandy beaches, and the Furulunden forest park. The ship is now on its third day of the cultural expedition cruise “Norway Explored,” an 11-day odyssey through the fjords up almost the entire Norwegian coast that will reach Tromsø on May 14th, 2023.

Providing spacious 5-star accommodation for 192 guests in 96 spacious staterooms and suites, the SH Diana is operated by an onboard team of 141 to provide the highest levels of personal service. Distinguished by the same elegant design as her acclaimed sister ships, with open-plan interiors, unobstructed sea views, and extensive deck areas, SH Diana nevertheless boasts specific key differences, salient among them a dedicated presentation and lecture theatre overlooking the lounge and onboard tender boats to take guests ashore in addition to the customary expedition zodiacs.

The cultural expedition cruise is one of the first in the Maris series of culinary discoveries at sea, which brings a renowned JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs chef on board. In this case, Michael Ammon, the owner and chef of the Michelin-starred Gasthaus Jakob in the Bavarian Forest, is renowned for innovative terroir-based specialties. Michael is serving a different characteristically astonishing signature dish every night, building to the climax of an extraordinary Gala Dinner created to showcase his creativity and skills.

SH Diana’s voyage to Tromsø opens a season of maiden cruises exploring the magic of Norway and the Artic, from the dramatic majesty of the fjords to the wild glacial mountainscapes and surprisingly abundant wildlife of the Svalbard Peninsula.

The SH Diana will mark Swan Hellenic’s historic return to the Mediterranean, for which the concept of cultural expedition cruising was initially created. Then it will go further, taking it worldwide as it continues through the Suez Canal to the Paradise Islands, Madagascar and Southern Africa on its way to Antarctica.

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented, “Guest feedback on the new SH Diana and our Maris experience is already exceeding all expectations. We can’t wait to see how this grows and develops as she voyages worldwide.”