Viking has seen its newest ship for the Nile River - the 82-guest Viking Osiris - floated out, marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water.

Set to debut in August, the vessel will sail the bestselling 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.

The arrival of Viking’s new ship later this year coincides with several key events in Egypt in 2022, including the highly- anticipated opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum outside Cairo on the Giza Plateau.

There is also the bicentenary of the decipherment of hieroglyphs and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter and his benefactor, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, to look forward to.

Building on Viking’s longstanding relationship with the Carnarvon family, guests who sail on board Viking Osiris will experience Privileged Access to memories from 1922 and the events surrounding the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

“Our guests are curious explorers, and just as the iconic explorers before them, they choose Egypt as a destination because of its unparalleled access to history and antiquities.

“This rings as true today as it did a century ago and is what we continue to hear from the guests who are currently sailing with us on the Nile, as well as the many we have hosted in the last year,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking.

“We are proud to be the only western company to build, own and operate ships on the Nile, and we will always maintain our commitment to creating meaningful experiences that are focused on the destination.

“Particularly during this milestone year for Egypt, we look forward to welcoming guests on board Viking Osiris and introducing them to the country’s many cultural treasures.”

The traditional float out ceremony took place at Massara shipyard in Cairo, and is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction.