Viking Octantis makes its first voyage on Great Lakes
Cruise ship first of the season to stop in Port Colborne
With a science lab, a fleet of military-pro Zodiacs and two six-guest submarines and hangar on board, the Viking Octantis stopped in Port Colborne on Sunday during its inaugural voyage on the Great Lakes.
It is the first of two new purpose-built expedition ships from the cruise ship company Viking.
It is the first of among 66 cruise ship stops in the city this season as the vessels make their return to the lakes after being away for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Port Colborne is looking to entice passengers from the ships to stay in the city when they dock along West Street, for which there is a plan to build a waterfront centre.
City council recently approved the hiring of J.P. Thomson Architects to design it. It will go on lands once home to the public works yard along the Welland Canal.
Ten proposals were sent in for an evaluation and the city said the next step this month will see a series of kickoff meetings between teams at the city, the architect firm and St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp.
As cruise ships make their return, this season should see about 20,735 berths — the number of people booked on ships — with at least 27,000 expected in 2023.
In previous interviews, the
city said with between 180 and 500 passengers on board the various vessels, plus crew, it hopes to capture 10 to 15 per cent of those numbers — about 2,000 people.
The Viking Octantis, the most modern ship in the Great Lakes, has four cruises this year with stops in Canadian and American ports.
It features a fleet of militarypro Zodiacs designed for professional use, a fleet of twoseater Arctic-tested kayaks and two 12-seater convertible special operations boats. It also features two six-guest submarines.
The hangar area of the vessel is an enclosed, in-ship marina that allows passengers to embark
and disembark excursion craft in an innovative way via a 25-metre slipway that shields them from wind and waves.
It features a 35-square-metre research lab with wet and dry facilities, a sample processing area, freezer and cool storage, and microscope optics.
The vessel also features an indoor-outdoor heated sanctuary with a retractable glass dome that allows guests to be surrounded by their destination as they swim and lounge in three temperature-controlled pools, including an “inside-out” swimming experience.