Viking Ocean Cruises, led by Chairman Torstein Hagen, and VARD today announced they had signed a letter of intent for two “special” cruise ships with an option for two more.

This news is in addition to plans to grow the Viking Ocean fleet to 16 ships by 2027.

The contract value is around 460 million euro, according to a statement. 

According to sources familiar with the matter, these ships will be LNG-powered expedition vessels.

Delivery dates are Q2 2021 and Q2 2022. The hulls will be built in Romania with final outfitting expected to take place in Norway. 

Roy Reite, CEO and Executive Director of VARD, commented: “It is our pleasure to work with Viking to develop a new series of cruise vessels. The company is well known for its expansion in river and ocean cruises, and they are now looking to Norway for the design and construction of its new cruise fleet. We are honoured to be chosen as their partner in this exciting project, and look forward to continuing the excellent cooperation with the Viking team.”

“The vessels are developed by Vard Design in Norway in close cooperation with the customer,” said a press release. “High industry demand for the most environmentally friendly and safe operations is a key driver in the concept development process. Viking will be developing a series of advanced cruise vessels, designed to be among the most environmentally friendly ships.”

VARD’s majority shareholder is Fincantieri.