The Minerva is a cruise ship built in 1989, and originally intended as a Soviet research vessel, the Okean. The deal to purchase her fell through and Swan Hellenic (at the time a subsidiary of P&O Cruises) purchased her in 1996 and renamed her Minerva.

Minerva at Krasnodarskiy Kray 8 October 2015.
History
Name
  • Okean
  • Minerva
  • Saga Pearl
  • Explorer II
  • Alexander Von Humboldt
  • Minerva
OperatorSwan Hellenic
Port of registryNassau,  Bahamas
Laid down1989
Launched1990
Completed1996
Maiden voyage1996
In service29 April 1996
IdentificationIMO number9144196
StatusLaid-up
General characteristics
Tonnage12,892 GT[1]
Length436 ft (133 m)
Beam66.5 ft (20.3 m)
Draught18.9 ft (5.8 m)
Decks6 (passenger decks)
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity350 passengers
Crew160

History

edit

She sailed with Swan Hellenic until her lease ran out in 2003.[clarification needed] She briefly sailed with Saga Cruises as the Saga Pearl, and was then chartered to Abercrombie & Kent as the Explorer II, making voyages to Antarctica and South America from December to April with up to 198 passengers.[2] From May to November, she sailed for the German-owned travel company Phoenix Reisen as the Alexander von Humboldt.

In July 2007 it was announced that the ship had been acquired by the relaunched Swan Hellenic line and the name would revert to Minerva. In early 2012, Minerva received a multi-million-pound, 83-day refit.[3][4]

In January 2017, Swan Hellenic went into administration and cancelled cruises on Minerva until further notice.[5]

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Leonardo Info, RI 73986
  2. ^ "Minerva tours". Abercrombie & Kent. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Welcome to nginx". www.sirencomms.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Minerva Enters Lloyd Werft - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". 7 December 2011.
  5. ^ "Bosses at collapsed Swan Hellenic cruise firm paid themselves nearly £1m". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021.

Bibliography

edit
  • Ward, Douglas. Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships 2005-2007. Berlitz.
edit