Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and cruise ship owner Viking Ocean Cruises have entered into an agreement for the construction of six further ocean ships.
Under the agreement, which is subject to specific conditions, the new vessels would be handed over to their owner in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Fincantieri informed that the parties would develop an advanced project based on the characteristics of the previous ships, updated and revisited in line with the latest technologies available on the market.
The deal, signed during the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, would lead to a total number of 16 units built in cooperation between the two companies, expanding the horizon of the partnership until 2027.
Viking’s current ocean fleet includes ships having a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons with accommodation for 930 passengers in 465 cabins.
As of today, Fincantieri has delivered 4 ships to Viking Ocean Cruises. The first of the series, Viking Star, has been built at the shipyard in Marghera and delivered in March 2015, while the second, the third and the fourth, Viking Sea, Viking Sky and Viking Sun, took the sea from the Ancona shipyard respectively in March 2016, January and September 2017.
The further six units in the order book will be delivered respectively in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 (2 units) and 2023.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said that the agreement “confirms the extraordinary moment of the demand in this sector. This allows Fincantieri to consolidate its worldwide leadership, laying the groundwork to enhance the order book with a workload ensuring today work safety for the next 10 years.”