Viking Ocean Cruises First Ship Floats

 
The traditional ceremony took place on Monday, June 23, at Fincantieris Marghera shipyard outside Venice, Italy. With a total of three sister ships now under construction, Viking Star will be the first to debut in early 2015 with maiden voyages in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Today is a proud day for our entire Viking family, as we are one step closer to launching a new era of ocean cruising, Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen said at the ceremony.
According to Italian shipbuilding tradition, a float out ceremony is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. Viking Stars float out began at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, when a madrina –  godmother – cut a cord to allow water to begin flowing into the ships building dock. Following a two-day process that will set Viking Star afloat, she will then be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.

Press Release, June 25, 2014