Viking celebrated its Twenty fifth birthday yesterday, September 30, with a historic gathering of three various kinds of cruise ships. An ocean ship, the corporate’s latest expedition ship, and a Viking river longship met in Amsterdam to sail in convoy to Ijmuiden, the Netherlands.
It was the primary time that the three cruise ship courses met, which made for a spectacular sight because the three sailed down the North Sea Canal. The celebrations coincided with the naming of the cruise line’s two expedition vessels, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.
All Lessons of Viking Ships within the Identical Place for the First Time
Based in 1997, Viking, previously Viking Cruises, has rapidly developed itself into a worldwide participant within the cruise business. Operational in three various kinds of cruises, ocean, river, and expedition, the corporate has seen speedy progress within the 25 years it has been operational.
Viking’s Twenty fifth-anniversary celebration in Amsterdam is the newest occasion throughout a 12 months by which the corporate has additionally welcomed to its fleet eight new Viking Longships, new purpose-built vessels on the Mekong, Nile, and Mississippi rivers, and two new expedition ships. By the top of 2022, two new, equivalent ocean ships may have additionally joined Viking’s fleet.
To mark the event of its Twenty fifth birthday, the corporate organized a historic gathering of all three ship courses. The latest ocean vessel, Viking Mars, a 47,842 gross tons cruise ship, Viking Mani, a 2015-built Viking longship river cruise vessel, and Viking Polaris, the second and latest expedition vessel, all met in Amsterdam.
It was the right event to additionally have fun the naming ceremony for Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, which was handed over by the shipyard simply three days in the past. Viking Octantis is at the moment crusing within the Nice Lakes, so the naming was accomplished via a distant ceremony.
“As we speak is historic for Viking—to have fun our Twenty fifth anniversary, to have all courses of our ships crusing collectively for the primary time, and to call our phenomenal new expedition vessels,” stated Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “I’m very happy with what now we have achieved in our first 25 years. And in our view, we’re simply getting began. The place will we go subsequent? Onwards.”
Two Explorers Change into Godmother to New Expedition Ships
The brand new Polar Class Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are purpose-built for expeditions, at a perfect measurement for security and luxury in distant locations resembling Antarctica. Because the ships will likely be spending a major period of time in far-away locations, the selection was made to pick out two veteran explorers as Godmother.
Liv Arnesen, Godmother of the Viking Octantis, led the primary unsupported ladies’s crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap in 1992. Ann Bancroft, Godmother of the Viking Polaris, grew to become the primary girl to ski to each poles in 1993 efficiently.
Each godmothers of the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris have been in attendance in Amsterdam and provided a blessing of fine fortune and protected crusing for the brand new ships. Arnesen provided her blessing remotely by way of video to the Viking Octantis within the Nice Lakes.
“It’s an honor to be the godmother of the brand new Viking Octantis. I’ve spent important time in Antarctica and lately had the privilege to return on one of many ship’s first voyages. The area is a particular vacation spot for scientists and adventurers, and crusing with Viking is the right solution to get there,” stated Liv Arnesen.
In step with the naming custom, Arnesen and Bancroft assisted in breaking a bottle of Norwegian aquavit on every of the ship’s hulls.
“Rising up within the Minnesota area, the Nice Lakes are the place I spent my early years turning into an explorer. I’m proud to be the godmother of an expedition vessel just like the Viking Polaris that can enable visitors to go to, not solely the Nice Lakes but in addition Antarctica, two areas that performed a pivotal function in my life,” based on Ann Bancroft.
Following the ceremony, Viking Mars, Viking Mani, and Viking Polaris sailed in convoy via the North Sea Canal from the Dutch capital metropolis of Amsterdam to the port of Ijmuiden. From Amsterdam, Viking Mars will proceed her cruise round Western Europe,
Viking Polaris is at the moment making her solution to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, from the place visitors will embark on the primary of a collection of cruises to Antarctica. Viking Mani will stay in Europe, crusing from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, and again.
