Viking Cruises has added two more ocean-going ships to its plans, and will now grow to at least eight vessels as another two 930-passengers were ordered on Tuesday from Fincantieri. There is also an option for two more ships.
The newbuilds will be sister ships to the six already ordered and will enter Viking fleet in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
The final contracts will become effective upon the fulfilment of financing and other customary closing conditions, said Fincantieri.
Viking is forecasted to have a dominant market share of the luxury ocean industry in 2020 of 23.9% (on a per berth basis according to Cruise Industry News). The additional vessels will add to this statistic.
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “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. As worldwide river cruise leader, Viking decided to enter the ocean cruise segment through a startup 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”.
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises, stated: “Our guests and the industry have spoken, and they love the ocean ships that we have built with Fincantieri,” Hagen added: “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”.
