Viking to take ocean fleet to eight ships

Viking Cruises is to add two existing ships to its order book with Fincantieri, taking its fleet of ocean ships to eight.

The new vessels, which will follow the same design as the existing fleet, will be launched in 2021 and 2022.

“Our guests and the industry have spoken, and they love the ocean ships that we have built with Fincantieri,’” said Torstein Hagen. “We set out to bring the destination back to cruising, and the cruising public has responded. 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.”

Each one of Viking’s ocean ships is able to accommodate 930 guests across 465 cabins. Viking launched the Star in 2015, the Sea in 2016 and the Star in 2017. Later this year it will launch the Sun, while the Spirit will be launched in 2018. The sixth, as yet unnamed ship, will be launched in 2019.

“The extraordinary moment of the cruise sector is continuing, and with this announcement Fincantieri reaffirms its worldwide leadership in the segment. The series – which began with the Viking Star prototype – reaches eight ships with these additional units, with the possibility to further grow thanks to the expansion plans of this dynamic cruise company,” said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. “As the worldwide river cruise leader, Viking decided to enter the ocean cruise segment with a startup together with Fincantieri as shipbuilder, achieving great success. We can but consider this agreement as a strategic and commercial success, which allows us to further strengthen our already excellent partnership with Viking Ocean Cruises.”