Viking today announced its second expedition ship, the 378-guest Viking Polaris, was floated out at VARD.

Scheduled to debut in summer 2022, the Viking Polaris will spend her maiden season sailing voyages to the Arctic and Antarctica; her identical sister ship, the Viking Octantis, was floated out last December and is set to debut in early 2022 for journeys to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

“We are now one step closer to our launch of ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ with new voyages that will allow our guests to explore the ends of the world and closer to home—in comfort,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with Fincantieri, who has helped us build the world’s most beautiful ocean ships and are now helping us perfect expedition cruising. We look forward to welcoming guests on board Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis next year.”

The float out is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float out ceremony of the Viking Polaris took place yesterday, July 27; she was then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for further construction and interior build-out. After final outfitting, the Viking Polaris will be delivered at Fincantieri’s VARD shipyard in Søviknes, Norway.

Esteemed explorers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft will be honored as ceremonial godmothers to Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, respectively. Arnesen, a native Norwegian, became the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole in 1994. Bancroft is the first woman to successfully ski to both poles. Arnesen and Bancroft also became the first women to ski across Antarctica in 2001. Together they co-founded Bancroft Arnesen Explore / Access Water, an initiative that aims to engage and empower more than 60 million minds to create a sustainable tomorrow.