By
Alex Smith |
Viking has marked the company’s 25th anniversary with a celebration in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
To commemorate the milestone, Viking Mani, a river cruise ship; Viking Mars, an ocean vessel; and Viking Polaris, the newest expedition vessel, met in the Dutch capital and sailed in a convoy to Ijmuiden, Netherlands.
Viking also officially christened Viking Polaris and her identical sister ship Viking Octantis, which is currently sailing her inaugural season in the North American Great Lakes. Explorers and the ships’ godmothers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft attended the event in Amsterdam and offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the new ships before breaking a bottle of Norwegian aquavit on each of the ship’s hulls. Crossover soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø and violinist Tor Jaran Apold also performed during the ceremony.
“This is historic for Viking—to celebrate our 25th anniversary, to have all classes of our ships sailing together for the first time, and to name our phenomenal new expedition vessels,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking. “I am very proud of what we have accomplished in our first 25 years. And in our view, we are just getting started. Where do we go next? Onwards.”