Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and US-based cruise company Viking Cruises have signed contracts for the first two of six ocean ships ordered in March 2018.
The two newbuilds will be delivered to its owner in 2024 and 2025, according to Fincantieri.
In partnership with the shipowner, the shipbuilder plans to develop a project based on the characteristics of the previous ships, upgraded and revisited in line with the latest available technologies.
Viking’s current ocean fleet includes ships having exclusively all-veranda staterooms, a gross tonnage of about 47,800 tons with accommodation for 930 passengers in 465 cabins.
Fincantieri started its partnership with Viking in 2012. Today, the cooperation which first began with an order for two ships has reached a total of 20 units, including the order awarded to Vard for two special cruise ships and the options.
As explained by Fincantieri, this is an all-time record, the largest number of units built by a shipbuilder for one sole shipowner.
The first in the series, Viking Star, was built at the shipyard in Marghera and delivered in 2015. The other units, Viking Sea, Viking Sky, Viking Sun, and Viking Orion, handed over in 2016, 2017 and 2018, were all built at the Ancona yard, as well as Viking Jupiter, which joined the shipowner’s fleet in February 2019.
Other ten units — options included — for Viking Cruises will take to the sea from the group’s Italian yards between 2021 and 2027.