Photo: Viking
There’s a new player in the expedition game, and its name is Octantis, Viking’s first ever expedition ship. Scheduled for delivery in January 2021, it was officially launched on December 22.
Viking Octantis was built by Fincantieri and is a Polar Class 6 ship that will sail to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes, carrying 378 guests and crews on voyages that will combine research with fun in equal measure. A second, identical vessel will be delivered in 2022, heading to Antarctica and the Arctic.
On December 22, Viking Octantis was launched or floated out, making the first contact with water in what is regarded in the industry as the surest sign that production is nearing final stages. After the ceremony, it was moved to an outfitting dock for final construction and interior work. Delivery will take place in Norway, at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard.
“Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world's most beautiful ocean ships. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel,” Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking says in a statement.
“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. 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,” Hagen adds.
Viking Octantis has 189 staterooms for 378 guests and the most incredible amenities one would want from a ship of this kind. It boasts an “industry first” enclosed in-ship marina called The Hangar, which allows easy boarding on smaller watercraft and launching excursion craft through multiple shell doors. It also packs a laboratory for resident researchers and experts, the Aula (a panoramic auditorium at stern dedicated to learning, an outdoor lounge, Nordic spa and fitness center, an explorer’s lounge, fine dining, pools, and more.
More importantly, especially for a ship of this purpose, it comes stocked with all types of expedition equipment that will be provided to guests according to preferences and training free of charge. This includes RIBs, Arctic-tested kayaks, military pro zodiac boats, and two submarines of six people each, as well as essential items and gear, survival kits, snowshoes and skis.
On December 22, Viking Octantis was launched or floated out, making the first contact with water in what is regarded in the industry as the surest sign that production is nearing final stages. After the ceremony, it was moved to an outfitting dock for final construction and interior work. Delivery will take place in Norway, at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard.
“Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world's most beautiful ocean ships. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s VARD and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel,” Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking says in a statement.
“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. 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,” Hagen adds.
Viking Octantis has 189 staterooms for 378 guests and the most incredible amenities one would want from a ship of this kind. It boasts an “industry first” enclosed in-ship marina called The Hangar, which allows easy boarding on smaller watercraft and launching excursion craft through multiple shell doors. It also packs a laboratory for resident researchers and experts, the Aula (a panoramic auditorium at stern dedicated to learning, an outdoor lounge, Nordic spa and fitness center, an explorer’s lounge, fine dining, pools, and more.
More importantly, especially for a ship of this purpose, it comes stocked with all types of expedition equipment that will be provided to guests according to preferences and training free of charge. This includes RIBs, Arctic-tested kayaks, military pro zodiac boats, and two submarines of six people each, as well as essential items and gear, survival kits, snowshoes and skis.
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