Swan Hellenic’s Cruising4Oceans initiative has been recognised as a pilot site within the GlobalCoast Network, an effort supported by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The pilot, centred on Deception Island in Antarctica, is the Network’s first ship-based site and its southernmost location.
Swan Hellenic’s three expedition ships, SH Vega, SH Diana and SH Minerva, collect ongoing environmental data around Deception Island during the Antarctic summer, functioning as what the company describes as a moving ocean observatory. The data is shared through the European EMODnet infrastructure.
Andrea Zito, chief executive of Swan Hellenic, said the initiative reflected a broader responsibility that came with operating in remote regions.
“We want our ships not simply to visit these places, but to contribute to their understanding and protection. Cruising4Oceans is a very practical expression of that ambition: while our ships are carrying guests on expedition, they can also contribute valuable observations to the international scientific community,” Zito said.
Mario Dogliani, coordinator of Cruising4Oceans and president of SDG4MED, said the recurring presence of three ships in the same area created data otherwise difficult to gather.
“By collecting observations every day and making the validated data freely available through EMODnet, Cruising4Oceans can provide information from areas where recurring observations are otherwise extremely difficult to obtain,” Dogliani said.
Guests take part in citizen science activities
Beyond data collection, the initiative involves guests directly, including whale observation through Happywhale and, when conditions allow, marine litter removal activities during voyages.
Swan Hellenic said similar data collection efforts are already underway on its ships operating in Svalbard and Greenland, with the model intended to be replicable wherever commercial vessels travel through data-poor marine areas.
