Viking Cruises on July 28 announced its 2nd expedition ship, the 378-passenger Viking Polaris had been floated out, marking a construction milestone and the first time that the newbuild touched water.
Scheduled to debut in summer 2022, Viking Polaris will spend her maiden season sailing to the Arctic and Antarctica.
Identical sistership, Viking Octantis, was floated out in December 2020 and is scheduled to debut in early 2022 for voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.
The official float-out ceremony of Viking Polaris took place on July 27. The vessel was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further building and interior build-out. Following final outfitting, she will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard (in Soviknes, Norway).
Octantis and Polaris (both part of the new brand Viking EXPEDITIONS) will be named by two esteemed explorers - Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft, who were honored as ceremonial godmothers, respectively.
Arnesen is a native Norwegian who became the first woman in the world to ski solo/unsupported to the South Pole back in 1994.
Bancroft is the first woman to successfully ski to both poles.