Viking Ocean Cruises, the new deep sea cruise operator that is a sister company of Viking River Cruises, has announced that Captain Gulleik Svalastog will be at the helm of its first ocean ship – the 930 passenger Viking Star, which will take on its first guests in April 2015.

"Leveraging his experience as a cruise captain in Norway, Captain Svalastog will command and oversee the operation, crew and safety of the ship in its maiden season in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean," the company said in a statement.