The ''Minerva'' is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

built in 1989, and originally intended as a Soviet research vessel, the ''Okean''. The deal to purchase her fell through and

Swan Hellenic Swan Hellenic is a British cruise line specialising in expedition tours of historical or cultural interest aimed at the upper end of the cruise market. Swan Hellenic was first established as Swan's Tours in the 1950s as a tour operator carryin ...

(at the time a subsidiary of P&O Cruises) purchased her in 1996 and renamed her ''Minerva''.

History

She sailed with Swan Hellenic until her lease ran out in 2003. She briefly sailed with

Saga Cruises Saga Shipping, also known as Saga Cruises, division of the Saga plc, is a cruise line headquartered in Folkestone, England. Saga Cruises exclusively markets to and operates for people aged 50 and over. History 1997–2005: Development In 1 ...

as the ''Saga Pearl'', and was then chartered to Abercrombie & Kent as the ''Explorer II'', making voyages to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

from December to April with up to 198 passengers. From May to November, she sailed for the German-owned travel company

Phoenix Reisen Phoenix Reisen is a Germany-based travel agency that also operates a fleet of cruise ships. The company first entered the cruise business in 1988 by chartering the Soviet Union-owned cruise ship . History Phoenix Reisen first begun operating crui ...

as the ''Alexander von Humboldt''. In July 2007 it was announced that the ship had been acquired by the relaunched

line and the name would revert to ''Minerva''. In early 2012, ''Minerva'' received a multi-million-pound, 83-day refit. In January 2017,

went into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

and cancelled cruises on ''Minerva'' until further notice.The Daily Telegraph
/ref>

Gallery

File:Saga Pearl at Tallinn 2.jpg, ''Saga Pearl'' at

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

in 2003 File:Explorer II South Georgia.jpg, ''Explorer II'' at

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a settlement on South Georgia in the South Atlantic and formerly a whaling station and the largest settlement on the island. It is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, considered the b ...

South Georgia South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east� ...

in 2007 File:Alexander von Humboldt departing from Bremrhaven.jpg, ''Alexander von Humbold'' after departure from

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

in 2007 File:Minerva arriving Tallinn 26 May 2013.JPG, ''Minerva'' arriving at

in 2013

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Pictures of MV Minerva
including visit to

Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the western bank of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes. It lies within the ...

11 July 2010
"Swanning Around The Mediterranean"
– review by Peter Newall in ''Maritime Matters'' of a Mediterranean cruise aboard MV ''Minerva'' Cruise ships Ships built in Italy Ships built by T. Mariotti 1989 ships Ships built at Okean Shipyard Ships built in the Soviet Union {{cruise-ship-stub