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] The ship's primary routes include Antarctica and the Great Lakes where the ship carries out scientific research during its cruises. The ship will be joined by an identical sister ship Viking Polaris in mid 2022.
 Viking Octantis | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Operator | Viking Cruises |
| Port of registry | Bergen,  Norway |
| Ordered | April 2018 |
| Builder | Vard (Fincantieri) |
| Christened | Liv Arnesen (godmother) |
| Completed | December 2021 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Expedition ship |
| Tonnage | 30,150 GT |
| Length | 205 m (672 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Ice class | Polar Class 6 |
| Installed power | MAN engines 4 x 4,800 kW (6,400 hp) |
| Propulsion | ABB Azipod 2 x 5,500 kW (7,400 hp) |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Capacity | 378 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.[2] 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.[3]
The Viking Octantis was primarily constructed at the Fincantieri Vard Tulcea shipyard in Romania,[4] when it was towed to the Vard Søviknes shipyard in Søvik, Norway for interior outfitting and completion.[5]
Design features
- "The Hangar": an aft ship bay that holds all the expedition equipment, including a fleet of zodiacs, kayaks, two high speed special operation boats with a 26-metre (85 ft) custom stern slipway, side bay doors with a gantry crane, and 2 Cruise Sub 7-300 submarines named "John" & "George".[6]
- "The Aula" Aft two deck high transformative auditorium space with glass windows on three sides, for educational presentations and lectures. It is inspired by the University of Oslo’s famed ceremonial hall, the former venue for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, with replica drop murals.
- "The Laboratory": Lab space in coordination with NOAA - Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Norwegian Institute of Water Research(NIVA), Polar Citizen Science Collective, Norwegian Polar Institute, University of Cambridge, IUCN, Oceanites, and the Scott Polar Research Institute.[7][8] The Viking Octantis is also partnered with the National Weather Service, and is the first civilian ship sanctioned to be a launch site for weather balloons.
History
The Viking Octantis is Viking Cruises' first expedition ship; they took delivery of the ship on December 22, 2021.[9] 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.[10] After the Antarctic season the ship sailed north via the Caribbean Sea to New York City, where it was originally intended have the ship's official naming ceremony, but was sensibly postponed due to the war in Ukraine, a country that Viking Cruises has long connection to.[11] 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.[12]
References
- "Viking Takes Delivery Of First Expedition Ship". www.vikingcruises.com. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- "New Viking Cruise Ships Will Run on Hydrogen, Hold More Passengers". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- "Viking Octantis Expedition Ship". Ship Technology. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- "Fincantieri | Viking Octantis". www.fincantieri.com. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- "Viking Octantis delivered". VARD. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- "Viking Submersible Order". U-Boat Worx. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- Staff, C. I. N. (2022-04-15). "Viking Builds on Existing Partnership with The University of Cambridge". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- "Viking Turns Cruise Voyages Into Science Expeditions | LATF USA". latfusa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
- "Viking Octantis embarks on maiden voyage towards South America". CruiseandFerry.net. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- Viking. "With Launch of New Expeditions, Viking Now Explores All Seven Continents". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- Levine, Irene S. "New Viking Octantis Carves Unique Niche In Expedition Cruising". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- Staff, C. I. N. (2022-04-21). "First Cruise Ship to Visit Atlantic Canada in Two Years Set to Arrive". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.