Viking River Cruises announced its newest ship for the Nile. The 82-passenger Viking Osiris was floated out marking a construction milestone and the first time the vessel has touched water.
Scheduled to debut in August, Viking Osiris will offer Viking’s bestselling itinerary - the 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids.
The arrival of Viking’s newest ship later in 2022 coincides with key events in Egypt, including the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum outside Cairo City on Giza Plateau, along with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
Building on Viking’s relationship with the Carnarvon family, passengers who sail onboard Viking Osiris will have the chance to experience Privileged Access to memories from 1922 as well as the events surrounding the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
The float-out ceremony took place at Cairo's Massara Shipyard on January 26 and is significant because it denotes a vessel moving into the final stage of construction. Viking Osiris' float out began at ~11:00 a.m. local time when a member of Viking's team pressed the button that signaled to lower the ship-lift of the yard.
The newbuild will then be moved to the nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Accommodating 82 passengers in 41 staterooms, Viking Osiris is inspired by the line’s award-winning ships with the stylish Scandinavian design for which Viking Cruises is known. The ship features a number of aspects familiar to Viking passengers, such as a square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace.
Osiris will join Viking’s other Nile River boat - Viking Ra, which launched back in 2018. In response to strong demand, Viking Aton, an identical sistership to Viking Osiris, is expected to join the fleet in 2023.