VARD has delivered Viking Polaris, the second of two ice-strengthened expedition vessels from VARD to Viking, according to the company's release.
The vessel has a length of 205 meters and a beam of 23,5 meters, especially designed and developed for comfortable expeditions in Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes. The vessel hosts 378 guests in 189 staterooms.
Viking Polaris is an ice-strengthened Polar Class 6 vessel with a longer hull, straight bow, and state-of-the-art fin stabilizers to provide the calmest possible journeys in remote regions. The u-tank stabilizers will significantly decrease rolling when the ship is stationary. The hull is built at Vard Tulcea in Romania. Vard Tulcea has also partly outfitted the ship.
VARD signed the Letter of Intent (LOI) for the two cruise vessels with Viking in April 2018. The contracts for the vessels became effective in July 2018.
Viking Polaris was delivered from Vard Søviknes 27 September 2022. The float out ceremony took place in Vard Tulcea in July 2021.The vessel arrived Vard Søviknes in Norway 22nd January 2022 for further outfitting, testing and finalization.
Her sister, Viking Octantis, was delivered from Vard Søviknes 22nd of December 2021.
VARD is one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels. Headquartered in Norway and with approximately 8,200 employees, VARD operates shipbuilding facilities in Norway, Romania, Brazil, and Vietnam. Through its specialized subsidiaries, VARD develops power and automation systems, deck handling equipment, and vessel accommodation solutions, and provides design and engineering services to the global maritime industry.
The majority shareholder of VARD is Fincantieri Oil & Gas S.p.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of FINCANTIERI S.p.A. Headquartered in Trieste, Italy. FINCANTIERI is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, and a global leader in cruise ship design and reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry sectors. With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, the Group today has a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and over 20,000 employees.