Viking® has 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 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 Venus will join an award-winning ocean fleet of sister ships, which also includes Viking Star®, Viking Sea®, Viking Sky®, Viking Sun®, Viking Orion®, and Viking Jupiter®.
Who is Viking?
Viking was founded in 1997 with the purchase of four ships in Russia and now offers scenic cruising on rivers, oceans, and lakes around the world. Designed for discerning travelers with interests in science, history, culture, and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers guests “the thinking person’s cruise” in contrast to mainstream cruises.
In its first four years of operation, Viking has been rated the #1 ocean cruise line in Travel + Leisure’s 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 “World’s Best” Awards. In addition to the Travel + Leisure honors, Viking has also been honored multiple times on Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” as well as recognized by Cruise Critic as “Best Overall” Small-Mid size ship in the 2018 Cruisers’ Choice Awards, “Best River Cruise Line” and “Best River Itineraries,” with the entire Viking Longships® fleet being named “Best New River Ships” in the website’s Editors’ Picks Awards.
For additional information, contact Viking at 1-800-2-VIKING (1-800-284-5464) or visit www.viking.com.
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