Newbuilds will be sister ships to the six already ordered and will enter Viking fleet in 2021 and 2022
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri signed a memorandum of agreement to construct two additional cruise ships for Viking Ocean Cruises, with an option for another two in future.
The newbuilds will be sister ships to the six already ordered and will enter Viking fleet in 2021 and 2022. The final contracts will become effective upon the fulfilment of financing and other customary closing conditions.
“The extraordinary moment of the cruise sector is continuing, and with this announcement Fincantieri reaffirms its worldwide leadership in the segment,” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “As worldwide river cruise leader, Viking decided to enter the ocean cruise segment through a start-up together with Fincantieri as shipbuilder, achieving a huge success. We, therefore, consider this agreement a great strategic and commercial result, which allows us to further strengthen our already excellent partnership with Viking Ocean Cruises.”
Each 47,800gt ship will accommodate 930 guests in 465 cabins and feature the same design as Viking’s existing and yet-to-be-delivered ocean vessels. These include Viking Star, which was delivered at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard in spring 2015, and Viking Sea and Viking Sky, which were delivered from Ancona in early 2016 and 2017, respectively. Viking Sun will follow in late 2017 and Viking Spirit in 2018. A sixth, yet-to-be-named ship will be delivered in 2019, marking Viking as the largest small ship ocean cruise line.
“Our guests and the industry have spoken, and they love the ocean ships that we have built with Fincantieri,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises. “These additional ships are needed to meet the demand we are experiencing. Once only known for being the leading river cruise line, we are now equally known for upscale, inclusive ocean cruise experiences. As we celebrate our 20th year of operation in 2017, we are pleased to continue innovating and to introduce even more guests to The Viking Way of exploration.”