The line will restart operations in the Med for vaccinated guests over the coming months, and has committed to homeporting two ships – Viking Venus and Viking Sea – in Maltese capital Valletta.

Venus and Sea will sail two different 11-day round-trip itineraries.

Malta and Adriatic Jewels will overnight in Valletta before sailing to Montenegro and Croatia, calling in Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Sibenik. It will return to Valletta via Gozo.

Viking’s Malta and Greek Isles Discovery itinerary, meanwhile, will also overnight in Valletta before sailing to Greece, calling in Kalamata, Athens, Santorini, Rhodes and Souda Bay.

The two ships will sail the itineraries between July and early October; Viking’s newest ocean ship, Venus, will be named in England on 17 May by broadcasting icon Anne Diamond.

"We thank the government of Malta for its support and enthusiasm as we continue restarting operations,” said Viking chair Torstein Hagen. “Malta is a fantastic destination, with ancient history, rich culture and a central location in the Mediterranean.

"We began calling in Malta in 2016 and look forward to welcoming guests back to some of the most historically significant and naturally beautiful areas of the Med."

Viking’s Welcome Back programme will get under way this month with ocean voyages in and around the British Isles, Iceland and Bermuda.

The line said it was working on additional itineraries across a number of other destinations, with a view to announcing new sailings as soon as it gets necessary government approvals.