Viking has marked a major construction milestone for its expedition cruise arm with the float out of the 378-guest Viking Octantis.

The event took place at the Fincantieri Vard shipyard in Norway. The ship has now been moved to an outfitting dock for further construction and work on its interior.

The line’s first expedition ship is scheduled to launch in early 2022. It will spend its maiden season sailing voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.

A second expedition ship, Viking Polaris, will follow in summer 2022 and will sail to Antarctica and the Arctic.

The line’s chairman Torstein Hagen said: “Working with Fincantieri over the last eight years, we have built the world’s most beautiful ocean ships.

“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Fincantieri’s Vard and celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our first expedition vessel

“In creating ‘the thinking person’s expedition,’ we are perfecting polar expedition cruising, and we will usher in a new era of comfortable exploration in the heart of North America.

“Viking Octantis and her sister ship, Viking Polaris, will allow our guests to explore further, to the ends of the earth as well as closer to home.

“I would like to thank our partners at Vard and everyone working at the yard for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Octantis. We look forward to welcoming her to our fleet in early 2022.”

The line has also announced that explorers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft will be the godmothers to Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, respectively.

Arnesen became the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole in 1994. Meanwhile, Bancroft is the first woman to successfully ski to both poles.

Arnesen and Bancroft also co-founded Bancroft Arnesen Explore/Access Water, an initiative that aims to support sustainability efforts.