Viking® today announced its newest ship for the Nile River—the 82-guest Viking Osiris—was “floated out,” marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water.
Set to debut in August 2022, Viking Osiris will sail Viking’s bestselling 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary. The arrival of Viking’s new ship later this year coincides with several key events in Egypt in 2022, including the highly anticipated opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum outside Cairo on the Giza Plateau—as well as the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter and his benefactor, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Building on Viking’s longstanding relationship with the Carnarvon family, guests who sail on board Viking Osiris will experience Privileged Access® to memories from 1922 and the events surrounding the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
“Our guests are curious explorers, and just as the iconic explorers before them, they choose Egypt as a destination because of its unparalleled access to history and antiquities. This rings as true today as it did a century ago and is what we continue to hear from the guests who are currently sailing with us on the Nile, as well as the many we have hosted in the last year,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “We are proud to be the only western company to build, own and operate ships on the Nile—and we will always maintain our commitment to creating meaningful experiences that are focused on the destination. Particularly during this milestone year for Egypt, we look forward to welcoming guests on board Viking Osiris and introducing them to the country’s many cultural treasures.”
The traditional float out ceremony took place at Massara shipyard in Cairo yesterday, January 26, 2022, and is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. The float out of Viking Osiris began at approximately 11:00 a.m. local time when a member of the Viking team pressed the button that signalled to lower the ship-lift of the yard, she will then be moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior build-out.
Viking Osiris
Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, the new, state-of-the-art Viking Osiris is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships with the elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. The vessel features several aspects familiar to Viking guests, such as a distinctive square bow and an indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace. Viking Osiris will join the company’s other ship on the Nile, Viking Ra, which launched in 2018. Additionally, in response to strong demand, Viking Aton, an identical sister ship to Viking Osiris, will join the fleet in 2023.
