Viking today announced its seventh ocean ship – the 930-guest Viking Venus– was “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touches water. Scheduled to debut in early 2021, Viking Venus will spend her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe.
“We started Viking’s ocean project eight years ago, and together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most beautiful ships. Today we are pleased to celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our seventh ocean ship,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “As the world continues its path to recovery from COVID-19, we remain focused on the future, and with strong bookings for 2021 and the enthusiasm of our guests, we are optimistic about what is to come. I would like to thank our partners at Fincantieri and everyone working at the yard in Ancona for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Venus, and we look forward to welcoming her to our fleet early next year.”
The traditional float out ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard and is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float out of Viking Venus began at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time, when a cord was cut to allow water to begin flowing into the ship’s building dock. Following a two-day process that will set Viking Venus afloat, she will then be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Viking Venus
Classified by Cruise Critic as “small ships,” Viking’s ocean vessels have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons, with 465 staterooms that can host 930 guests.
Viking has announced the expansion of its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of new expedition voyages. Viking Expeditions will begin sailing in January 2022 with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes. A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022, sailing to Antarctica and the Arctic.
