by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:11 AM ET, Wed December 23, 2020
Viking announced its first expedition ship was floated out on Tuesday, marking a major construction milestone and the first time the new vessel touched water.
Scheduled to debut in early 2022, the 378-guest Viking Octantis will spend her maiden season sailing voyages to Antarctica and the Great Lakes in North America. In addition, a second expedition ship, Viking Polaris, is set to debut in summer 2022 and will sail journeys to Antarctica and the Arctic.
Esteemed explorers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft will be honored as ceremonial godmothers to Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, respectively.
The float out ceremony took place Tuesday and the ship was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, Viking Octantis will be delivered at Fincantieri's VARD shipyard in Soviknes, Norway.
"Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world's most beautiful ocean ships," Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen said. "We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri's VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel."
"In creating 'the thinking person's expedition,' we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America," Hagen continued. "Viking Octantis and her sister ship, Viking Polaris, will allow our guests to explore further - to the ends of the earth as well as closer to home."
Viking's expedition ships feature straight bows, longer hulls and state-of-the-art fin stabilizers that allow them to glide over the waves for the calmest possible journey. The vessels will also boast ice-strengthened Polar Class 6 hulls and U-tank stabilizers.
The ships will also include an in-ship marina, research laboratories, expedition equipment, a panoramic auditorium, Nordic Balconies, an array of suite options, an indoor-outdoor pool area, a fitness center, explorer's lounge and more.
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