Viking Cruises announced its newest ocean vessel, Viking Venus. marked a major milestone in the production process. The 930-guest ocean ship is the seventh from the cruising company and just touched water for the first time.

Viking Venus is on track to debut in early 2021, when it will sail itineraries in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Constructed by Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding company in Trieste, the “float out” construction milestone was celebrated with a traditional ceremony at Fincantieri’s Ancona shipyard. The ceremony began with a cord-cutting, allowing water to flow into the ship’s building dock, touching the ship for the first time and allowing it to float. Once set afloat, the ship is then moved to a nearby outfitting dock for final construction and interior work.

The event is a significant accomplishment and kicks off the final stages of the ship’s construction.

“We started Viking’s ocean project eight years ago, and together with Fincantieri we have built the world’s most beautiful ships. Today we are pleased to celebrate this important milestone in the construction of our seventh ocean ship,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman, Viking. “As the world continues its path to recovery from COVID-19, we remain focused on the future, and with strong bookings for 2021 and the enthusiasm of our guests, we are optimistic about what is to come. I would like to thank our partners at Fincantieri and everyone working at the yard in Ancona for the hard work and dedication on the building of Viking Venus, and we look forward to welcoming her to our fleet early next year.”