The precious ships of the Viking Ship Museum are on the move in Oslo. This week, the first vessel, the historic Oseberg ship, was successfully transferred to its new location in the main building of the Museum of the Viking Age, currently under construction.
A delicate operation
The Oseberg is one of the most famous Viking ships of all time. Dated to the 9th century, the 22-meter ship was discovered in a grave mound near Tønsberg, Norway, in 1904.
For the past 99 years, it has been housed in the main building of Oslo's Viking Ship Museum, which is also home to the Gokstad and Tune Viking ships.
The museum, however, has been closed to the public since 2021. When the museum reopens in 2027, it will do so with a completely redeveloped structure as the Museum of the Viking Age.
As part of the preparations for the new museum complex, a team of engineers and museum staff has been tasked with relocating the ships and other precious artifacts from the old building to their future display areas.
The moving of the Viking ships has required years of planning to ensure that the integrity of these delicate artifacts is preserved. The Oseberg was scheduled to start its complex journey to its new home this week.
In preparation, over the past few weeks, the ship has been secured by custom-made steel rigs weighing approximately 50 tons.
The ship was moved just over 100 meters into its new display hall, in a process costing approximately 43 million euros. Photo: Museum of the Viking Age
Making the move
Given the intensely delicate nature of the 1,000-year-old wooden ship, the team remained nervous in the last moments as they hoped their mission would come to fruition.
The Oseberg finally began its journey on Monday, September 8, as the Oseberg was maneuvered into place with the assistance of a huge crane system.
The main operation began at 10 am on Tuesday. At this point, the Oseberg began inching its way through the rooms of the old museum. At 12:50 pm, it entered the new building for the first time.
After gradually edging closer to its new display area, by 5:50 pm, the Oseberg found itself hanging over the base of its intended resting place.
Even then, the job was not complete. The engineers had to painstakingly lower the ship toward its final position, moving 4.6 meters at a speed of six centimeters per minute.
Finally, at 7:30 pm, after some nine and a half hours of work, the engineers successfully placed the Oseberg ship in its new position.
- READ MORE: All you need to know about Viking ships
The delicate lowering phase took nine and a half hours, with the ship descending 4.6 meters at six centimeters per minute. Photo: Museum of the Viking Age
One down, two to go
The successful relocation of the Oseberg is an immense source of pride for the museum team.
"This is a historic day," museum director Aud Tønnessen commented on the Museum of the Viking Age's website, after interacting with local and international media. "It's incredibly rewarding to see such immense interest. This is a remarkable day in my life."
The success of the Oseberg's journey is also a major step for the whole Museum of the Viking Age project.
The decision to transform the Viking Ship Museum, an icon of Norway's capital, was made by the Norwegian government in September 2019, with the planners envisaging a highly ambitious new structure that could safely preserve the priceless ships while also presenting the wider story of the Viking Age to the general public.
As the scheduled start date in 2027 approaches, the team will surely now feel far closer to the realization of the dream. Now, the attention will shift to the Gokstad ship, which is scheduled for relocation this October or November.
The last of the three vessels, the Tune, will be moved in June 2026.
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