Venus was delivered to Viking last month and joins its small-ship fleet alongside identical 930-guest sister ships Viking Star, Sea, Sky, Orion and Jupiter.

The ship will then enter service on 22 May sailing five Scenic Shore itineraries roundtrip from Portsmouth as part of its Welcome Back programme, calling in Liverpool, the Isles of Scilly, Falmouth and Portland.

Viking initially put three departures on sale, but a further two were added sailing on 19 June and 26 June after the initial run sold out in under a week.

Chair Torstein Hagen said the UK government was "leading the way" with its approach to the safe return of cruising and had helped "put hope back on the horizon".

"Viking was the first cruise line to suspend operations in March 2020 and, after 14 months of keeping our ships in warm lay-up, we are looking forward to ushering in this new era," he said.

"The arrival of Viking Venus into Portsmouth is a reason to celebrate as we prepare to welcome UK guests onboard from 22 May, after she has been named."

Wendy Atkin-Smith, Viking UK managing director, said Venus’s arrival was a "momentous occasion". "As a proud seafaring nation, it is fitting the UK is where Viking will restart operations globally.

"With its rich naval and shipbuilding history dating back more than 800 years, we are thrilled that Portsmouth is Viking Venus’s maiden port of call."

Viking also recently announced that Viking Venus and Viking Sea would homeport in the Maltese capital of Valletta over the summer, sailing new Mediterranean itineraries; these will be available to UK guests, along with a new Iceland itinerary.

The line is also working on new Welcome Back itineraries in other destinations, with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as government approvals are given.

All Welcome Back voyages are exclusively for vaccinated guests.