Viking takes delivery of Viking Mars in Italy
The ship will be named by Highclere Castle's Lady Fiona Carnarvon
Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Mars, was presented at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Ancona, Italy.
Following the delivery ceremony the vessel will be officially named on May 17 in Malta, by its ceremonial godmother, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon. The date also marks Norwegian Constitution Day.
The 930-guest ship will then sail itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and northern Europe before repositioning at the end of the year for voyages around Australia and New Zealand.
The Countess is a long-standing partner of the line, which runs numerous Privileged Access pre and post-cruise extensions at her home, Highclere Castle. The castle is well known for being the filming location of Downton Abbey, and experiences are available for guests on selected river and ocean voyages.
Lady Carnarvon has served as godmother to a Viking Longship, the Viking Skadi, which sails on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. She also appears on the line’s enrichment channel, Viking.TV.
Chairman Torstein Hagen said: “As we celebrate our 25th anniversary and a year of important milestones for Viking, today we are very proud to welcome the newest ocean ship to our award-winning fleet. Lady Carnarvon has honoured us by serving as godmother to the Viking Mars, and we look forward to welcoming guests on board this beautiful new sister ship in the coming weeks.”
In March Viking welcomed eight new river ships to its fleet during a celebration in Paris.
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