Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Neptune, touched water for the first time yesterday (13 January) at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard in Italy.
“It is always a special day when a new ship meets water for the first time, and we look forward to welcoming guests on board the Viking Neptune this fall,” said Torstein Hagen, the line’s chairman.
“We are marking several milestones in 2022, including our 25th anniversary and the tenth year since starting our ocean project.
“With the arrival of the Viking Neptune and her identical sister ship, the Viking Mars, this year, along with the debut of our two new expedition ships and new river ships, we are proud to firmly establish Viking as the leading small ship travel company.”
A member of the Viking team cut a cord that signalled water to begin flowing into the ship’s building dock.
Following a two-day process to set Viking Neptune afloat, she will be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Set to debut in November, the 930-guest ship will spend her maiden season in the Mediterranean before embarking on Viking’s 2023-2024 World Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London.