The Viking Octantis has lately accomplished its first yr in service. Introducing Viking Cruises’ to the expedition market, the purpose-built exploration vessel welcomed its first friends in January 2022.
After being delivered in late 2021, the vessel spent its inaugural season crusing Viking’s first ever program in Antarctica. Extending by means of March 2022, the schedule included a sequence of “Antarctic Explorer” expeditions.
Sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, the 13-night itinerary featured visits to a number of components of the Frozen Continent, together with Half Moon Island, Brown Bluff, Whalers Bay and the Lemaire Channel.
Following its inaugural season, the Viking Octantis sailed Nnrth, providing repositioning cruises within the Caribbean and Central America earlier than debuting within the Great Lakes in May.
During a five-month summer time program, the vessel sailed within the area, delivering Milwaukee and Thunder Bay and cruising in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Ports of name included Mackinac Island, Houghton, Apostle Islands, Duluth and extra.
Designed to fulfill Polar Class 6 requirements, the Viking Octantis was constructed by the VARD shipyard in Norway.
Custom-built for crusing in distant and polar areas, the 30,000-ton vessel hosts 378 friends in 189 staterooms.
The ship was additionally projected by the identical nautical architects and engineers that designed Viking’s oceangoing ships, providing an identical fashionable Scandinavian design to its fleet mates, along with public areas which can be acquainted to Viking’s ocean cruise friends.
According to the corporate, the ship is “optimally sized” as nicely, being sufficiently small to navigate distant polar areas and the St. Lawrence Seaway, whereas giant sufficient to offer superior dealing with and stability within the roughest seas.
In 2022, the Viking expedition fleet gained a second vessel with the Viking Polaris. A sister to the Octantis, the 378-guest ship entered service final September forward of a inaugural season in Antarctica.