Passengers aboard Swan Hellenic’s luxury expedition vessel SH Diana have experienced significant disruptions during a 20-night repositioning voyage from Cape Town to Ushuaia due to an engine malfunction. The issue, involving one of the ship’s electric motors, has led to the cancellation of all planned Antarctic landings and adjustments to the itinerary, prompting discontent among some of the 170 passengers onboard.
The year-old vessel, which specializes in expedition cruising to remote destinations, was scheduled to visit notable Antarctic sites including Elephant Island, Paulet Island, Brown Bluff, and Deception Island over a 4-day period. These calls were removed from the itinerary after the ship encountered mechanical problems, forcing it to reduce speed to 6 knots (11 km/h) and proceed directly to Ushuaia. The ship is expected to arrive at the Argentine port on Saturday, November 30th, where a team of engineers will undertake repairs in preparation for its next voyage beginning December 3rd.
Swan Hellenic has offered affected passengers compensation in the form of a 50% refund or a 65% future cruise credit, valid for two years. Additionally, the cruise line has arranged complimentary excursions in Ushuaia during the extended stay until December 3rd. However, some passengers, including a small group of Russian travelers, have expressed dissatisfaction with the compensation package, with the group staging a hunger strike and displaying signs calling for full refunds.
The vessel had departed Cape Town on November 13th, transitioning to Ushuaia where it will serve as the base for Swan Hellenic’s summer Antarctica season through March 2025. Despite the current disruptions, Swan Hellenic has confirmed that all future Antarctic sailings aboard SH Diana remain scheduled as planned.
For more SH Diana incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.