Viking has named its newest ocean ship, the Viking Saturn at a celebration in New York City.
The ship’s godmother, Ann Ziff, the esteemed philanthropist and Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera, a longtime Viking cultural partner, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship.
The ship will now continue her inaugural season, sailing two new Viking voyages: Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada, between New York City and Reykjavik, and Iceland & Norway’s Arctic Explorer, between Reykjavik and Bergen.
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking said:
“This is a very proud day for Viking as we name our newest identical ocean ship in New York City, one of the great cultural capitals of the world.
“It is especially fitting that Ann Ziff, Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera, one of the world’s greatest cultural institutions, has honoured us by serving as godmother of the Viking Saturn.
“We thank Ann for her loyalty as a Viking guest, as well as her many impressive contributions to the arts and other important causes.”
Ann Ziff said: “It is an honour to be godmother of the new Viking Saturn and celebrate this momentous occasion in New York.
“Viking and the Metropolitan Opera share a common goal in creating enriching experiences throughout the world and there is no doubt the Viking Saturn will do just that for her guests.”
To bless the ship, Ziff used the steel sword from the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore to cut a ribbon that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to break on the ship’s hull.
The prop sword was originally used by baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the role of Count di Luna in David McVicar’s production, which premiered in the 2008-2009 season.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, the sword was presented to Ziff by Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon, who is also the godmother of the Viking Mars and a Viking Longship, the Viking Skadi.
For more information, visit viking.com.
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