Fincantieri group’s Vard’s Søviknes, Norway, shipyard has delivered the ‘Viking Octantis’ to Viking Cruises.
‘Viking Octantis’ will be officially named in April, 2022 in New York before sailing to the Great Lakes for a series of voyages in the spring and summer.
A second ship, ’Viking Polaris’, is due to joins the fleet in August, 2022 to operate in Polar regions.
‘Viking Octantis’ is 205 m in length and has a beam of 23.5 m. She was designed and developed for expeditions in the Arctic, Antarctica and the Great Lakes. She can accommodate 378 guests in 189 staterooms.
The ship was designed with a straight bow, longer hull and fitted with fin stabilisers. The ice-strengthened Polar Class 6 hull will allow the ship to explore Polar regions and the ship’s U-tank stabilisers are designed to significantly decrease rolling when the ship is stationary.
“With its length of more than 200 m, ’Viking Octantis’ is the largest vessel built by Vard so far, and I would like to express my gratitude to each and everyone involved in the project for their dedicated effort and commitment to secure delivery according to plan,” said Attilio Dapelo, Vard’s General Manager for Business Unit Cruise.
On 22nd December, 2020, ‘Viking Octantis’ was floated out at Vard’s Tulcea shipyard in Romania. She then arrived at Søviknes in July, 2021, for further outfitting and sea trials.
Several of Vard’s and Fincantieri’s specialist subsidiaries were involved throughout the shipbuilding process.
“We all had one common goal – to deliver the vessel before Christmas. And we did it,” said Arnt Inge Gjerde, Vard Søviknes’ Yard Director.
“Despite all the challenges posed by the pandemic, we have nevertheless managed to complete the building, outfitting, testing and successful sea trial of the vessel.
“We are all looking forward to seeing ’Viking Octantis’ in operation. She will be a fabulous experience for the passengers on board and a great workplace for its crew,” he said.
“Our guests have asked us to build on our award-winning river and ocean voyages to take them further, and that is just what we have done,” said Torstein Hagen, Viking Cruises Chairman.
“Leveraging our long history of destination-focused travel, enrichment and innovative ship design, we are now perfecting expedition voyages and offering curious travellers the opportunity to visit the world’s most pristine destinations in the most responsible way possible.
“With the arrival of ’Viking Octantis’, Viking is now exploring all seven continents, and we look forward to welcoming her first guests on board in the coming weeks,” he added.
