Viking Octantis

The Viking Octantis is a Polar Class 6 purpose-built expedition ship completed in December 2021 for Viking Expeditions Cruises, a subdivision of Viking Cruises. The ship has a capacity of 378 passengers with 189 staterooms.[1] Named after the Sigma Octantis, the south star, the ship's primary routes include Antarctica and the Great Lakes where the ship carries out scientific research during its cruises. The ship was joined by an identical sister ship Viking Polaris in fall of 2022.[2]

Viking Octantis
History
OperatorViking Cruises
Port of registryBergen,  Norway
OrderedApril 2018
BuilderVard (Fincantieri)
ChristenedLiv Arnesen (godmother)
CompletedDecember 2021
General characteristics
TypeExpedition ship
Tonnage30,150 GT
Length205 m (672 ft 7 in)
Beam23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Draught6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Ice classPolar Class 6
Installed powerMAN engines 4 x 4,800 kW (6,400 hp)
PropulsionABB Azipod 2 x 5,500 kW (7,400 hp)
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Capacity378 passengers

Design and construction

A letter of intent was signed for two new expedition vessels for Viking Cruises in April 2018. The ship was designed by SMC Design of London and the interiors by Richard Riviere of the interior design firm Rottet Studio of Los Angeles.[1] The ship dimensions were specifically designed to fit through the Welland Canal.[3] The ship has a straight bow, designed to reduce fuel consumption and improve stability. The ice-strengthened Polar Class 6 hull was built to ensure a safe voyage and state of the art U-tank stabilisers are intended to decrease rolling by up to 50% when the ship is stationary.[4]  

The Viking Octantis was primarily constructed at the Fincantieri Vard Tulcea shipyard in Romania,[5] when it was towed to the Vard Søviknes shipyard in Søvik, Norway for interior outfitting and completion.[6]

Design features

History

The Viking Octantis is Viking Cruises' first expedition ship; they took delivery of the ship on December 22, 2021.[12] The ship's maiden season was in Antarctica with the first passenger voyage in January 2022. Explorer Liv Arnesen was named the ships's godmother.[13] After the Antarctic season the ship sailed north via the Caribbean Sea to New York City,[14] where it was originally intended have the ship's official naming ceremony, but was postponed due to the war in Ukraine.[15] The ship departed New York City to begin her maiden Great Lakes season, sailing out of such ports as Toronto, Thunder Bay, and Milwaukee. The Viking Octantis was also the first cruise ship to return to Atlantic Canadian ports in over two years since restrictions were put in place, with her first port of call in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.[16] The ship was finally named on September 30, 2022 in Toronto, Canada, in a special virtual remote dual christening with her sister ship, Viking Polaris docked in Amsterdam. Liv Arnesen blessed the ship from the bow of the Viking Polaris in Amsterdam, while a crew member in Toronto released the bottle of champagne on the bow.[17]

References
  1. "Viking Takes Delivery Of First Expedition Ship" (Press release). Viking Cruises. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  2. "Viking Celebrates 25th Anniversary in Amsterdam" (Press release). Viking Cruises. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  3. "New Viking Cruise Ships Will Run on Hydrogen, Hold More Passengers". www.cruisecritic.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  4. "Viking Octantis Expedition Ship". Ship Technology. Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  5. "Fincantieri | Viking Octantis". www.fincantieri.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  6. "Viking Octantis delivered". VARD. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  7. "With Launch of New Expeditions, Viking Now Explores All Seven Continents" (Press release). Viking. 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2022-11-25 – via prnewswire.com.
  8. "Viking Submersible Order". U-Boat Worx. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  9. "Onboard Obsession: Exploring the Great Lakes by Submarine". Condé Nast Traveler. 2022-08-11. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  10. Staff, C. I. N. (2022-04-15). "Viking Builds on Existing Partnership with The University of Cambridge". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  11. "Viking Turns Cruise Voyages Into Science Expeditions | LATF USA". latfusa.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  12. "Viking Octantis embarks on maiden voyage towards South America". CruiseandFerry.net. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  13. Viking. "With Launch of New Expeditions, Viking Now Explores All Seven Continents". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  14. Levine, Irene S. "New Viking Octantis Carves Unique Niche In Expedition Cruising". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  15. "The next Viking ocean ships will have hydrogen power". www.travelweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  16. "First Cruise Ship to Visit Atlantic Canada in Two Years Set to Arrive". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. 2022-04-21. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  17. "Viking christens Viking Octantis, Polaris". Cruise Critic. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
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