Viking christened its newest ocean-going vessel, the Viking Neptune, with a celebration in Los Angeles. As part of the event, the ship's godmother, Nicole Stott, a retired NASA astronaut, aquanaut, and artist, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe passage for the vessel, a maritime tradition. The Viking Neptune departed for Honolulu following the christening ceremony. The ship is currently undertaking the Viking World Cruise 2022-2023, an epic 138-day voyage from Fort Lauderdale to London, visiting 28 countries and 57 ports, with overnight stays in 11 cities.
“Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family as we christen our newest ocean-going vessel in Los Angeles, home to Viking’s U.S. office for more than 20 years,” said Torstein Hagen, President of Viking. “The Viking Neptune is named after both the outermost planet in our solar system and the god of the sea, and our new Viking godmother, Nicole Stott, as a NASA astronaut and aquanaut, also has connections to space and the sea. We are grateful for her many contributions to the scientific community and proud to have her as part of the Viking family.”.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be the godmother of the new Viking Neptune. I am so excited for all those who will travel around the world on this elegant ship,” said Nicole Stott.
Following naming tradition, during the ceremony Nicole used a historic Viking axe to cut a ribbon, breaking a bottle of Norwegian aquavit against the ship's hull. Before the ribbon cutting, the axe was presented to Nicole by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world's leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, who used it when christening her ship in January 2020. Guests at the event also enjoyed performances by Sissel and Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.
A veteran NASA astronaut, Nicole Stott's experience includes two spaceflights and 104 days living and working in space aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). Also an artist, Nicole painted the first watercolor in space and is a co-founder of the Space for Art Foundation, which unites a global community of children through space exploration and the healing power of art.
The Viking Neptune is the newest ship in Viking's ocean fleet, which consists of identical sister ships, including the Viking Star®, Viking Sea®, Viking Sky®, Viking Orion®, Viking Jupiter®, Viking Venus®, and Viking Mars®. In April, Viking will also welcome another new ocean-going vessel, the Viking Saturn®.
The Viking Neptune is uniquely equipped with a small hydrogen fuel system, making it the first ship in the cruise industry to test the use of hydrogen power for onboard operations. Viking is using the small system as a test to determine how hydrogen could be used on a larger scale in future new constructions.
