Swan Hellenic’s new SH Minerva was baptized in a small private ceremony at the Helsinki shipyard this afternoon with the wife of Johanna Mäkelä, Finland’s first professor of food culture and Juhana Vartiainen, the mayor of Helsinki.

Mayor Vartiainen, Andrea Zito, CEO of Swan Hellenic, and Carl-Gustaf Rotkirch, CEO of Helsinki Shipyard, were also present.

The celebration follows global supply chain disruptions and recent spikes in COVID-19 cases in Finland, prompting Swan Hellenic to make the difficult decision to delay the start of Minerva’s inaugural season and want to cancel its first two cruises rather than take any risks. the highest quality and safety standards, the company said.

SH Minervan is now scheduled to leave the yard early next week.
Helsinki Shipyard’s project manager Jonas Packalén commented at the christening ceremony: “We are delighted to finally see today’s many global challenges that made our task far from easy. Special thanks to everyone involved in the project for their continued dedication and excellent work!

Andrea Zito, CEO of Swan Hellenic, added: “I, too, would like to congratulate all the people of Helsinki for their impeccable work in difficult conditions and the strict safety measures that have kept SH Minerva a safe environment at all times. The ship was completed only 26 months after the contract was signed, which is a significant achievement. We now look forward to taking our guests to see what others can’t see and explore it with exceptional comfort and style.