Passengers aboard Swan Hellenic’s expedition ship SH Diana have experienced significant disruptions during a 20-night repositioning voyage from Africa to South America (RepositionCruises.com) 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 2023-built vessel 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 vessel encountered mechanical problems resulting in reduced speed (to 8 knots / 15 km/h) and proceeded directly to homeport Ushuaia where is expected to arrive on Saturday, November 30th.
In Ushuaia, a team of engineers will undertake repairs in preparation for its next voyage, which will begin on December 3rd.
From the original itinerary remained only one port - Grytviken on South Georgia Island (the UK's South Sandwich Islands), visited on November 24th.
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.
SH Diana left Cape Town on November 13th, transitioning to Ushuaia where it will be homeported for Swan Hellenic’s summer Antarctic season through March 2025.
Despite the current disruptions, Swan Hellenic has confirmed that all future Antarctic sailings aboard SH Diana remain scheduled as planned.
You can track the ship's route and current location here.