Viking Ocean Celebrates Float Out of Second Ship
Viking Ocean Cruises’ second ship – the 930-passenger Viking Sea – was “floated out” last week, marking a major construction milestone and the first time that the new ship touched water.
The traditional ceremony took place June 25 at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard – little more than a month after the new ocean line christened its first ship, Viking Star, in Bergen, Norway. Viking Sea is set to launch in early 2016; the company’s third ship on order, Viking Sky, is also currently under construction in Ancona and will debut in 2017. All three ships will sail popular routes in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
“The day that a new ship first touches water is always a special day, and today is indeed a proud one for our Viking family,” said Torstein Hagen, founder and chairman of Viking Cruises. “Having just celebrated the launch of our first ocean cruise ship, we are pleased at the positive reviews she is receiving from our guests and travel industry partners. We have no doubt that her sister ship, Viking Sea, will be met with the same reception upon her debut next spring.”
In addition to the float out of Viking Sea, the company also announced that Karine Hagen, Viking’s senior vice-president of product and daughter of Torstein Hagen, will be godmother to Viking Sea and will officially “name” the ship during the christening ceremony in early 2016.
Viking’s ocean ships are engineered at a scale that allows direct access into most ports, so guests have easy and efficient embarkation and disembarkation. Features include All Veranda Staterooms; Explorer Suites; Two Pool Choices; LivNordic Spa; Explorers’ Lounge and Wintergarden; Dining Choices; Enriching Entertainment; and Sustainable Features.
